


Frozen in Time

by Writer_Geekgirl



Series: Frozen in Time [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 13, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Future, Angel Tablet, Angels vs. Demons, Angst with a Happy Ending, Archangels, Canon-Typical Violence, Demons, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, Happy Ending, M/M, Men of Letters Bunker, Prophetic Visions, Team Free Will 2.0, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-03-19 08:04:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 73,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13700322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer_Geekgirl/pseuds/Writer_Geekgirl
Summary: In 2018,  Jack Kline, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, and Castiel were frozen in time as they stopped Michael's apocalyptic army from invading the world.The world moved around them. A new religion sprang up. Some major cities had descended into dark chaos. Monsters still needed to be killed, and hunters killed them. Life went on.In 2058, an archaeologist, a prophet, Heaven's second-most wayward angel, and a salty hunter try to stop the new apocalypse. For that, they need the help of Team Free Will 2.0.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Note: I started this story during the hiatus after Season 13 Episode 13, "The Devil's Bargain," was shown. The story is canon compliant until then. From that point on, the SPN writers and I part ways :).
> 
> I don't know where the canon story will go, but here's my version.

May 2018

Dean Winchester had always known the day would come where it all would end bloody. Today was that day. Jack, Dean, Sam, Castiel, and Lucifer looked at the opening rift in dismay. Michael, dressed in his dark trench coat and angel blade in hand, emerged first with a look of triumph on his face. He has been waiting for this moment, savoring it from the first that he had heard of the other reality. Behind him fluttering about was Kevin Tran, the prophet for Michael and the holder of the angel tablet. Eight seraph angels, Michael's lieutenants, flanked him on either side.

Team Free Will knew this was coming; they had tried to figure out how to stop it. They had come up short in the end. They had failed to stop the breach between realities.

Lucifer muttered, "Michael is such a dick. You guys figure something out. I'll at least try to slow the bastard down. Son, figure out how to close the rift." Lucifer paused for a minute and looked at Jack, "You may not have turned out the way I expected, but you are the greatest and best thing I ever did. I'm glad I had a chance to know you. Take care of him, Castiel." Lucifer charged towards Michael yelling, "Michael, you son of a bitch!"

Jack stared at the rift. He tried and couldn't close it; he could feel more angels from the apocalypse world getting ready to swarm through. 

Castiel said, "Dean, Kevin has the angel tablet. Perhaps, Jack can use that to tap into a bigger reserve of power." Dean nodded, and he and Castiel started to move to try to flank the angels. 

Sam just stood with Jack. "You got this Jack. Do anything; try anything."

Jack looked at Sam with a look of helpless frustration. "I don't know what to do."

When Dean got close enough, he took careful aim at the prophet. He felt misgivings about killing Kevin, even though he knew this one wasn't part of his family. He pulled the trigger. Kevin jerked backwards and fell with the bullet lodged in his brain. Castiel's eyes focused on the angel tablet still in Kevin's arms. He charged towards the prophet's body with his angel blade drawn, while Dean let loose bursts of angel-killing bullets on either side of him to provide cover fire. Dean managed to take down two angels. Castiel slid to a stop besides the angel tablet and grabbed it. He yelled to Jack, "Bring us to you."

Jack turned and flicked his wrist and summoned Dean and Castiel back to his side. Dean smiled, "Never get tired of that trick, Jack." 

Castiel handed the angel tablet to Jack. "You should be able to use that to magnify your power, Jack." 

Sam gasped, "Lucifer."

Castiel pivoted and saw Lucifer was in trouble with Michael. Lucifer staggered and almost fell to his knees, grace bleed out through several large cuts. Lucifer glared belligerently at Michael, regained his footing, and charged at him again.

Castiel started in that direction; however, Lucifer noticed him out of the corner of eye and shouted, "Stay back. Help Jack." Castiel returned to Jack reluctantly. 

Michael looked in the direction that Lucifer shouted and commanded his lieutenants to engage them. Dean started shooting a swath of angel-killing bullets towards the angels. "Jack, kind of getting low on bullets here. What can we do?"

"I can't close it, but…I can close the area around it on this side."

"How?" Sam looked at Jack questioningly. 

"Like a bug in amber. But it will include us."

Dean asked, "Will it save Earth?"

Jack nodded. He gasped as he saw Lucifer fall to the ground, light shooting out of his eyes and the char of his wings emblazoned on the ground, as Michael stabbed him in the chest. Michael smiled triumphantly, as he met Jack’s eyes. Jack’s face twisted in anguish. He and Lucifer had only recently started to know each other. Although he considered Castiel his father, he still felt the loss.

Sam murmured, "Jack, you need to focus."

Jack looked between Sam and Dean. "If you want me to do it, I must do it quickly before too many more angels come through."

Dean's and Sam's eyes met. Sam nodded once at Dean. "Do it, Jack." Dean growled.

"Castiel, stand behind me," Jack ordered. Castiel complied without question. "Everyone, close your eyes."

With one hand on the angel tablet, Jack let loose a burst of pure white light in front of him. The angel tablet glowed gold and then red. Angels started to burn and fall to the ground. Michael lasted a few more seconds than the others, but he too lit up after a moment and fell with wings etched on the ground. Jack staggered. There were still hundreds of angels on the other side of the rift, about to enter. He couldn't do that trick again.

Jack looked wildly over his shoulders. "I love you. You are my family."

Sam put his arm around Jack. "We're here with you, Jack."

Dean looked at Castiel and pulled him close. He murmured for the first time, "I love you," as he kissed Castiel. Castiel froze, startled for a moment, and then returned the kiss passionately. A yellow glow emanated from Jack and bubbled around him. Within seconds, a large dome of golden viscous goo covered the rift and everything within a 10-mile radius, including the Winchesters, Castiel, and Jack. They were frozen in time, just like an insect in a piece of amber, with Jack holding the angel tablet with one hand and the other hand extended towards the rift, Sam with his arm around Jack, and Castiel and Dean locked in a passionate embrace.

Time passed.


	2. Raider of the Lost Archangel

March 2058

Lexie Tremaine surveyed the landscape around her excitedly. A transparent wall separated her from where she wanted to go--the amberstone dome formed during the Heaven Battle outside of Lebanon, Kansas. She stood looking longingly through the wall at the dome, shivering with her hands thrust deep into pockets of her khaki coat. It was cold, wet, and windy; her red pony tail was blowing in the wind and whipping around her face. She didn't care about the weather; she'd been waiting for this moment for a long time and tomorrow her life-long dream would start to come to fruition. She had just finished her doctorate in archaeological forensics and received a grant to work on the battle site. 

For the first twenty years after the battle, the mound of amberstone glowed brightly from a fissure of energy that pulsated within it and then the fissure slowly faded. For ten years after that, the battle site was still considered a no-man's land because of the strange energy readings that permeated the location. Finally, on the fortieth anniversary of the battle, the energy levels had returned to normal and they were letting forensics archaeologists and other scientists explore and excavate the battle site for the first time to determine exactly what happened.

What they did knew about the battle is that the sky had opened with a great rift of pulsating orange energy and that an army of invaders started to swarm in. Then, five men drove into battle in a circa 1960s classic car with "Rock of Ages" by Def Leppard blaring loudly through the speakers. Police arrived and tried to decide what to do. The National Guard was called. Jet fighters were scrambled. But before anyone could do anything, the fight ended with a large flash of light and the creation of the amberstone dome.

No one ever successfully identified the five men seen entering the battle site. There were whispers that it was an apocalyptic battle between Lucifer and Michael, but most people, including Lexie, thought it was more likely a rip in the space-time continuum. Scientists had monitored the energy from the dome for the twenty years that it was still pulsating. The energy was like nothing else on earth. But, as it faded and finally disappeared, the readings dwindled until nothing more could be detected.

A lot had happened in the time since the amberstone was formed. L.A. and southern California, Las Vegas, and Arizona had fallen into chaos. The military bombarded any targets that emerged from those areas. Rumors abounded that it was Hell on Earth. A new religion started in New Mexico and spread in response to the chaos that promised to bring light to the darkness and salvation. Lexie didn't pay more than a passing interest to the religion, because she believed in science. She postulated that some contaminate from the water in the southwest had a negative impact on the citizens in those areas that somehow caused extreme paranoia and violence and forced them to be contained. As always, people responded to fear of the unknown by imagining there was some greater force to explain away their terror and give them hope. For Lexie, everything had to have a logical explanation.

Lexie was excited to be part of the team to start excavating the zone. She walked the perimeter of the wall, peering in. She couldn't officially enter the area until the next day. Groups had gone in to access the safety. Some preliminary surveying had been done. Dirt and debris had blown in over time, and in some areas mossy grass had grown over the dome. No movement had ever been seen inside of it. 

Lexie pressed her face against the wall for a moment, wishing that she could start work that night. She caught movement from the corner of her eye and turned to face it. A woman in her sixties was leaning against an ancient, battered blue pickup truck with wooden rails on either side of its bed. The woman's hair had silver streaks, but at one time it looked like it would have been blonde. A braid gathered up the hair on one side of her face. She wore jeans and a tight leather jacket. A large converter in the bed of the truck hummed quietly as it transformed modern fuel into something the ancient truck could run off. 

The woman approached Lexie, limping slightly. 

Lexie said uneasily, "Hello?"

The woman smiled faintly, "Hi, my name is Claire. Claire Novak. Is it true that tomorrow you all will be starting to excavate in there?" 

"Hello, Claire. I'm Lexie Tremaine. Yes, I'm part of the team that is preparing to do a formal study and survey of the site to try to determine what occurred. Very few people saw what happened, and we don't really understand what went down."

Claire shifted uncomfortably. "I think… I know, my father was in there. His name was Jimmy Novak." Claire handed her a faded photo of a serious-faced man with black messy hair and blue eyes in a trench coat, a striped tie hung loosely around his neck. "My father disappeared a decade before the battle in 2008, but he contacted me briefly before it started to tell me he was here. If somehow a body remains, could you…" Her voice cracked. "Could you contact me? The number is on the back of the photo."

Lexie took the photo and looked at it more closely. Her eyes met Claire. "Okay. Can I ask why you didn't tell authorities before? The FBI at the time asked for anyone who knew the men at the battle site to come forward."

Claire looked at the ground and then looked up with her eyes full of tears. "It made no difference. We couldn't get to them because the rift was still open. I thought it would be their tomb. But now…if you are starting to explore and excavate it, I thought you might find his body. He's not a science experiment. He's somebody's dad."

"Let's go grab a cup of coffee and talk," Lexie said after noticing Claire was shivering. Claire nodded in agreement.

Lexie started her vehicle and headed to the diner on the edge of town. Claire followed in her truck. Once in the diner, Lexie ordered two cups of coffee and waited for Claire. Claire limped in and slid onto the bench on the other side of the table.

Lexie smiled reassuringly. "Claire, I promise if I find any human remains, I'll make sure to contact you. I can tell the institute that his family wants to claim his remains. If there are enough remains to do a DNA test, the authorities will want to test your DNA to confirm that he's related."

"I'd like to claim four of the men. One was my adopted brother, one was my father's partner, and the last was my step-uncle."

Lexie looked at her curiously. "What can you tell me about them?"

Claire shifted uncomfortably. "They saved the world a lot."

"Who were they?"

Claire looked at her intently. "Would you be willing to keep this strictly off the record and between us until the bodies are found? My remaining family doesn't need to be bothered. We've lost enough."

"I promise, Claire. I'm here to figure out what happened. I won't tell anyone anything you tell me unless I can confirm it scientifically for you."

Claire looked out the window. She whispered, "Angels are real. Lucifer was real. My dad, Dean, Sam, and Jack fought them. They weren't nice."

Lexie furrowed her brow. She wasn't willing to believe in angels. No one knew what caused the rift or who the invading army was, but she firmly believed technology was behind it, not the supernatural. Claire seemed sincere though.

Lexie nodded and asked, "So, why did the army invade here? Why the rift?

"There was an alternate reality. The lead angel there was the archangel Michael. He created the rift to bring the angels from that reality to ours to conquer it. Angels aren't fluffy, nice guardian things; they are a species that don't care who or how many people they must destroy if something is in the way of what they want. The Lucifer from our reality tried to stop Michael. My family helped him."

"Your family helped Lucifer? The Lucifer?" Lexie looked at her doubtfully.

Claire sighed, "It's complicated. My family knew how to kill angels. Lucifer didn't want to destroy our world; Michael did. So, my family sided with the angel that they knew. They knew he was evil, but the other guy was worse. I know this all sounds farfetched to you. But it's true. What other explanation do you have?"

Lexie stared at her. "We have no explanation. That's why I'm here."

"It's Occam's razor. If more than one possibility exists, go with the simplest. Mine is simple. There were bad guys attacking from an alternate reality. My family stopped them."

"But how?"

Claire shrugged sadly, "That's for you to find out. All I know is that they were there. This wasn't the first time they saved the world; it was just the last." Claire let out a soft sob and turned to face the window. A tear streamed down her cheek, as she tried to compose herself. "Forget me trying to explain things to you. You go do that science thing and figure stuff out -- I just want my family returned to me, so I can give them the proper type of funeral. The one they would want." Claire tapped her wrist device and held it up to the scanner to pay for the coffee. "Coffee's on me. I'm staying in the area. Thanks for listening."

Claire stood up and walked out of the diner, her limp more pronounced. Lexie watched her leave, confused. She mused that the girl was either telling the truth, deluded into thinking she was telling the truth, or an incredible actress. 

Lexie left the diner, got into her vehicle, and drove to the temporary housing where she was staying. Once inside her stark apartment, she pushed a button on her wrist device. A hologram of a woman dressed in a jump suit with short wavy hair appeared. Lexie asked, "Kara, what can you tell me about Jimmy Novak with a daughter named Claire who disappeared in 2008."

Kara paused for a split second and answered, "Jimmy Novak disappeared on September 18, 2008. He was born in Pontiac, Illinois. He sold ads for a radio station. He suffered a series of mental breakdowns for which he was prescribed medications, including antipsychotic drugs. He had a wife named Amelia and a daughter named Claire. He made a brief reappearance in 2016 when he tried to remove Claire from a group home when she was 16. However, the request was denied because the administrator thought he was unstable."

"What can you tell me about his daughter Claire Novak starting from that time?"

"Claire Novak lived with her mother, Amelia Novak, initially. However, she moved in with her grandmother, Susan Wilson, from age ten until Wilson died when she was fifteen. She was then put into a series of foster homes from which she ran away. She was frequently in the custody of the state. Her juvenile records are locked. She was adopted by Jody Mills of Sioux City, South Dakota, when she was 17. She attended Sioux City High for a year. Her work history includes working as a bartender, a demolition contractor, and as a security guard. There is no current address. She is currently 58 years old and her present whereabouts are unknown." 

"Thanks, Kara, you are dismissed." The hologram disappeared, as Lexie sat down on her couch, deep in thought. Occam's razor indeed. 

\-------

Claire limped down the stairwell of the bunker. The solitude was almost overwhelming. She grabbed a bottle of whiskey and sat at the library table where the Winchesters had long ago carved their initials. Donna, Jody, and Alex never believed her when she said Castiel wasn't dead. When he died in 2017 and was in the Empty, she had known it because the tendril of grace that had linked them together from her childhood had been severed. However, once he returned from the Empty, she could feel his grace again. Even as a child when she prayed to him and he never answered, she had known he was there, just out of reach, because she could feel the bond that the grace forged between them.

Over the years, she had tried to enter the protected zone several times. In the early days when the rift was still active, the military had a heavy presence at the site that barred her from entering. Later after the rift closed, security became laxer and she was able to infiltrate a couple of times; however, the last time ended with her knee cap being shattered by a security guard's lucky shot. She'd barely escaped. After that, she didn't have any delusions that she could make it in to and out of the site in a way to accomplish anything useful. She just bided her time. After Jody's death a year earlier of a heart attack, Claire moved into the bunker full time. When she heard they were going to start excavating the zone, she knew she had to make one final, last-ditch effort to reclaim whatever was left of her family.

When she watched the site that night, she hadn't intended to tell anyone her story. However, as she saw how Lexie looked longingly at the site, she thought there might be more the woman. That she might have a thirst for knowledge that was tempered by curiosity instead of looking at it as another job. She thought if the woman could be made to think of it as being someone's family instead of being a scientific specimen that she would make sure that they would take more care. Claire was convinced that there was a chance Castiel could be saved if someone didn't dynamite or bull doze him to bits while excavating the ruins. 

She traced Sam and Dean's initials with her forefinger as she took another sip of her whiskey. She held no illusions that the Winchesters would still be alive, but if she could at least save Castiel, she wouldn't feel like she let them all down. Claire poured another drink and stared tiredly at the table. All she could do was wait. It seemed like she had been waiting forever.


	3. A Prophet is Born

March 2018 

_"So, Lucifer is in Heaven and Anael is with him. Peachy, that's just aces," Dean grumbled as he drank a beer at the war table._

_Castiel sighed deeply, "Yes. We can safely assume that Lucifer is close to maximum power."_

_"Great, just great. At least, we got Mom and Jack back. But we got Lucifer in full powers upstairs, Asmodeus downstairs, and Michael on the other side of the wall. What's next? Plagues of locusts? Maybe a great flood?" Dean frowned at his beer._

_"Neither of those events are likely to happen, Dean. They were both caused by God's displeasure," Castiel blinked at Dean and tilted his head._

_"And just where is Chuck when all this is going on?" Dean exploded. "He told me that Sam and I would be the barrier between the dark and light. How are we supposed to get in the friggin' middle of those three and survive, much less save the world?"_

_Jack stood up from the chair that he was sitting in from a shadowed corner of the room. "You have me, Dean. I will do everything I can."_

_Dean smiled softly at Jack, "I know, kiddo. This is all just too much. And then Mom hightailed it out of here just as soon as we got her back."_

_Sam poured himself and Dean a glass of whiskey. "Do you blame her after the way she was tortured, Dean? I'd want to be alone too."_

_Jack looked discouraged. "I'm sorry that I could not return her sooner."_

_"You're why we got her back at all, Jack." Sam ruffled Jack's hair._

_Dean sighed. "We'll hit the books again and see what we can figure out. This stopping apocalypses shit is getting really old."_

_\------_

_In Heaven, Lucifer paced back and forth. Anael stood, leaning against the wall in a corner. An angel with a clipboard walked into the office. Lucifer scowled at him, and the angel beat a hasty retreat. Anael rolled her eyes._

_"Lord Lucifer, that's no way to consolidate your power. "_

_"Michael is coming. He's going to destroy us all, Anael. What part of destroy us all, do you not understand?" Lucifer looked frustrated, running his fingers through his hair. "What I need is Jack and maybe Castiel. Castiel can control Jack. But right now, I ain't got Jack, get it?"_

_An angel in the vessel of a petite Asian woman knocked softly to the door to Lucifer's office. She wore a grey suit with a dark grey trench coat over it. Her short hair was unruly, and she looked slightly rumpled. "Your Lord."_

_"Yes, yes. What's your name? Tabbris, is it? What do you want?"_

_"The Nephilim has returned to this reality. We picked up his energy signature. However, it disappeared again shortly after that. I assume he's in a warded location," Tabbris looked at him uncomfortably._

_Lucifer picked up a chair and threw it against the wall. He stormed out of the room._

_Anael looked placidly in his wake. "Thank you, Tabbris. Please continue to try to find his location."_

_Tabbris nodded and backed out of the room._

================================================

March 2058

Reya Cloud escorted the last customer from her small shop in Wenatchee, Washington, and sighed in relief as she closed the door. The man had been angry and wanted to know if his wife was having an affair. It didn't take a psychic or a dreamer to see that if she was having an affair, she had good reason too. The man was rude, condescending, and arrogant. She hadn't appreciated the way he stared at her rear either. Reya was used to men acting rough. She had grown up on the streets, but with her psychic abilities she’d finally eked out enough of a living to open a small business where she helped people explore their destinies, so they could find their desired path.

She looked in the mirror over the bookcase of crystals. Although she was 29, she still looked like she was a teenager. Her thick brown hair and tan skin stood out in stark contrast with her bright blue eyes. The eyes were from her mother's heritage, the rest of her and her divining abilities had come from her Nez Perce father.

She started to straighten up the room, so she would be ready for the next morning. She suddenly doubled over as she had an intense vision. She shook her head; she couldn't see any details in the vision. It just seemed like bright light and the sound of breaking glass surrounded her. She sat down at the table to catch her breath. The visions weren't usually so vivid.

She stood up a few minutes later to continue cleaning. A loud humming noise started to come from the ceiling. She looked up as a bolt of lightning hit her and energy poured through her body. She was lifted from the ground and then was dropped unceremoniously a moment later in a heap among the shards of all the crystals in the room that had exploded during the lightning strike.

When she opened her eyes, she could feel _its_ beckoning force. She didn't know what it was, but she could hear it calling to her. She walked out of the shop, leaving it unlocked, and got into her vehicle. She set the course in her car's computer to the southeast and looked blankly out the window. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she had to go there.

She became alert again as her stomach rumbled as she approached Boise, Idaho. She stopped at a truck stop and went inside. After eating a sandwich and using the facilities, she walked back out to the car. An Asian woman in a dark grey trench coat leaned against it.

Reya asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Tabbris. I am an Angel of the Lord."

Reya blinked at her. "Well, I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really? "

Tabbris squinted at her and tilted her head slightly. "Did I not say it clearly? My name is Tabbris, and I'm an Angel of the Lord."

Reya stared at her. "And what would an angel want with me?"

"You are now the Prophet and I need to take you to safety," Tabbris said stubbornly. "It is your destiny to be the Prophet."

Reya frowned at her. "I'm a psychic, not a prophet. Get out of my way." She tried to shove Tabbris; however, Tabbris stood immovable as if she was affixed to the ground.

"If you were a psychic, why couldn't you see me coming?" Tabbris asked patiently. "Why did I have to explain to you who I am? And why will you not accept it? This is your problem, Reya. You have no faith."

"Listen, Tabby, or whoever you are, I need to go, and I need to go now. Get out of my way." Reya attempted to shove Tabbris out of her way again without success.

"You are right; you do need to go." Tabbris grabbed Reya's arm. Reya felt dizzy and slightly nauseous, and then found herself in a room that looked like it was a hunting cabin. A worn, comfortable rustic couch sat on one side of a room, while a table with a variety of snacks and drinks occupied the room's center. A large stone fireplace dominated one wall with a warm, inviting fire. It reminded her of her house she grew up in, before her parents were killed in an auto accident. However, unlike that house, this room had no windows. Tabbris stood next to her serenely.

"What? Where?" Reya looked around in confusion. "How did I get here?"

"I brought you here to safety. Anael will be in here to talk with you shortly. My job was to pick up the Prophet. She will explain everything that being the Prophet entails," Tabbris smiled and backed up. "I will return shortly."

"Wait. Wait. You can't just leave me here; wherever, here is. Why am I here?"

Tabbris sighed. "There is a pool of potential Prophets. When the current Prophet dies, another takes his or her place. You have been activated as the current Prophet. That means you are the one designated to read the word of God and to record history."

"And you are an angel?" Reya ran her fingers through her hair and started to pace.

"I have already said that twice. However, if it helps to say it a third time, I'm an angel. You are my charge. I am responsible for your safety and wellbeing. If you need anything, you can ask me."

"I need to go back to my car. I was heading somewhere. I need to go somewhere. I want to go somewhere," Reya yelled exasperatedly. "I'm not a prophet!"

Tabbris answered, "That I cannot help you with. I will return shortly. Please help yourself to food and drink when you are hungry and thirsty."

Tabbris flew to just outside Anael's office and knocked softly. When she heard Anael call her inside, she walked into the room and closed the door behind her. "I have picked up the new Prophet. She seems to have been on the way somewhere."

Anael smiled, leaning back in her chair. "Thank you, Tabbris. Please make her comfortable. We might have some work for her soon."

Tabbris answered, "Yes, Sister." She started to leave, but paused. "May I ask what happened to the last Prophet? He was under our protection, and he was still quite young. We should have been able to keep him safe."

Anael sounded irritated as she said, "It was just a tragic accident, Tabbris. It is nothing to concern yourself with."

"I am sorry if I spoke out of turn. I was just… He was a nice and courteous man." Tabbris started to back out of the room.

Anael stared at her through narrowed eyes. "It is none of your concern, Tabbris. He wasn't your charge. The new Prophet is. Do not get too attached to your human charges. Consider what happened to Castiel as a cautionary tale."

Tabbris walked into the hallway. She frowned slightly. She had known Castiel before she had become a soldier. She had just been an assistant to the higher order, but he had always been kind and thoughtful to her. She knew he had been reprogrammed multiple times because his heart was too big and he cared too much. She herself had led him to Naomi for his reconditioning three times. It made her sad each time. She considered him a hero, but she knew many others, including Anael, thought of him as a fallen and broken angel. She was always secretly thrilled when he broke ranks yet again, because he always seemed to do what he thought best instead of listening to meaningless rules and inexplicable operations of their superiors. Yet, because of his love of his human charges, he was now dead and gone forever.

She knew she should return to Reya. However, she wanted to know what happened to the previous Prophet. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she flew cautiously to the green room where they had kept him. She gasped in horror at the tray of thick needles covered in blood next to a chair with straps. A drill laid on the table. She looked around nervously. It looked as if someone had used the needles to try to activate the subconscious part of his mind, possibly to seek the secrets of the Prophets. Tabbris swallowed nervously and flew back to Reya. She needed time to reflect upon what she saw.


	4. Between a Rock and a Hard Place

March 2018

_Dean knocked softly on Castiel's door before opening it. Castiel was sitting cross-legged on his bed meditating. His eyes opened, and one corner of his mouth quirked up. "Hello, Dean."_

_Dean sat on the edge of the bed. "Everything's going to hell in a handbasket, Cas. You were dead, you were back two days, Asmodeus kidnapped you, we fought Lucifer, we had to rescue Mom and Jack, and you and I haven't really talked in such a long time. Just the two of us."_

_Castiel swung his legs to the side of the bed and sat next to Dean, their thighs touching. "Is there something specific on your mind?"_

_Dean snorted, "Not really. There's just so much going on. And I've never…" Dean trailed off, looking off into space._

_"You don't have to use words with me, Dean. I know. I've missed us. I've missed movie nights, music nights, stargazing on the hood of the Impala." Castiel placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed._

_Dean sighed. "We just fight and fight and fight and the war is never over."_

_"We'll get through this, Dean. I have faith in me, you, Jack, and Sam. We stopped the apocalypse before. We'll do it again."_

_"I suppose." Dean put his hand on Castiel's knee and left it there. He stared intently into Castiel's eyes for several minutes._

_Castiel finally broke the silence and smiled at him. "For now, go get your laptop. The internet told me that the latest season of Dr. Sexy is available on Netflix. Tonight seems to be a good night for binge watching."_

_Dean left a moment and returned with the laptop. Castiel turned off the light. They sat against the headboard of the bed next to each other with their shoulders touching watching the TV show for hours. For the moment at least, life was peaceful._

_\------_

_"Lord Lucifer, the best approach is to let the Winchesters and the Nephilim take on Michael and then we will clean up the pieces of what is left. If your son is as powerful as you think he is, he should have no trouble and will be weakened so we can capture him," Anael said calmly, ignoring the fact that Lucifer was prowling around the room like a caged tiger._

_"If anyone is going to take out my dick brother, Michael, it's going to be me," Lucifer growled._

_"Be reasonable, Lucifer. The angel numbers have been greatly diminished. We don't have the forces necessary to take on Michael. Heaven needs you." Anael's eyes flashed as she glared at Lucifer._

_"When will you get it through your thick head, Anael, that I don't care about Heaven. What I want is my son with me and Michael dead." Lucifer smashed the glass wall of the office, shattering the glass. "I've had it."_

_Lucifer disappeared with a soft flap of his wings. Anael smiled slowly, looking pleased._

=========

March 2058

Lexie started her first day on the dig, working with the technician in charge of the imaging technology, Rix Jones. The hardened amberstone covered ten square miles. In places, the dome was up to 300 feet tall. She and Rix were starting on imaging the west edge of the dome. When she placed her hand on the amberstone, it was cool and smooth. There were some impressions, some imperfections, but overall it felt very much like the side of a rock crystal.

Engineers were placing spikes in the dome to make it easier to climb with hand and foot holds. It would take weeks just to get a preliminary scan of the contents of the amberstone before they would ever be able to start excavating. Today, Rix was using drones to take photographs, filtering out the color amber to try to see the terrain under the dome.

Lexie couldn't get Claire out of her mind. She was excited to be on the dig, but she kept thinking how sad and convinced Claire was that her father was entombed within the amberstone.

"Hey Rix. How long would it take the drone to do a preliminary pass of the whole field if we keyed it off larger objects first before we start trying to create a detailed map the entire surface under the dome?"

Rix looked at her thoughtfully as he straightened up from his workstation, his shaggy blonde hair covering his face. "I could use multiple drones in a grid. I'd say four or five days." Lexie was tall for a woman at 5'10", but Rix towered over her by five or six inches. She always thought he was built like Captain America. If he cut his hair, he could pass for the superhero.

Lexie said, "I was just thinking. Before we start any major excavations that we should identify if there are any remains in there. That way we would be prepared to handle them correctly and with the proper respect. Can you set the drones to search for roughly human sized objects?"

"Sounds great, doc. I'll get on that."

Lexie smiled at Rix. "I'll go make sure the boss man is agreement."

Lexie walked over to the trailers parked on the edge of the excavation. She searched until she found the trailer with the name plate Dr. Hamilton Ford on it. She knocked softly. She felt nervous because this was the first time she'd met him since they held the initial planning sessions at the Scully Institute of Science.

The door swung open and a man her height with salt and pepper grey hair answered the door. He wore horn-rimmed glasses and had an old-fashioned pocket protector with antique pens in it. "Hi, Lexie. I was just about to go start down to the dome. Exciting day, isn't it?"

Lexie smiled. "I been waiting for this day my whole life. Dr. Ford, I asked Rix to do an initial quick survey just to identify any high-density spots to look for human remains. I just wanted to double-check with you that it's ok."

"Lexie, call me Hamilton. I'll get tired of saying doctor all the time. Do you think there are any significant remains left? The historical records say that the police initially thought that a nuclear bomb had gone off because of the intensity of the light they saw. Some of them actually suffered burns to their corneas from that light. We know it wasn't actually nuclear because it was the wrong type of energy and there was no widespread blast damage." Hamilton stepped down on the stairs to exit the trailer.

"I don't know Doc…Hamilton. I thought it was worth to take the time to look just so we can focus our efforts on those areas if we find any. The condition of any remains may give us a better understanding of exactly what happened."

Hamilton nodded. "That sounds like a great approach. Our research on the molecular structure of the amberstone is amazing. It is quite similar to actual amber. But amber is fossilized tree sap that is hardened and crystalized over long periods of time, and this dome was formed in mere moments. Fascinating stuff."

"Do you have any theories on how that could happen?

"Absolutely none," he grinned at her. "Which is what makes it absolutely fascinating. It's like a miracle. Something that shouldn't even be possible."

"Did it come from the fissure?"

"I don't think so." Hamilton pulled out his hologram tablet. He said, "Show aerial view of Heavens Battle site circa 2019." The tablet formed a hologram of the dome. Hamilton held it out for Lexie to see. "If you notice the fissure was over here, in the northwest quadrant of the dome. I don't think that it can be the source of the resin. If it was more of a flow like a volcano instead of a dome, maybe. I would think as a liquid resin, if that is indeed what it was before hardening, it would have flowed more outward instead of upward, defying the laws of gravity. I believe that the source of the resin that formed the amberstone was probably released in the center of the dome. However, I have absolutely no scientific explanation for any of this."

"Was it forested here before the light blast?" Lexie furrowed her brow, staring at the hologram.

"No, this was nice, flat Kansas grasslands. The number of trees to produce this amount of resin quickly would be in the thousands. The chemical composition is also a little bit off, and we aren't able to identify some of the trace elements in the resin."

Lexie looked at him thoughtfully. "You know that some ancient historians thought that amber was the solidified rays of the sun somehow captured as they struck the earth. In ancient Greece and Egypt, they thought amber had mystical powers to keep you safe. It was used to make amulets in the shape of the gods." She stared at the amberstone.

"Those explanations are just as plausible as any I have yet to come up with. And that is exactly why this is so fascinating." Hamilton gave her a mock salute as he headed towards the tent housing the geologists.

She headed back to Rix. He turned away from his holographic monitors being projected by his work station to look at her. He currently had six drones flying above the dome scanning the amberstone; the monitors showed in real time the images the drones were capturing. He said excitedly, "I think there might be some remains in the center of the dome. I started from there and am working my way out. The first drone detected some denser masses." He moved his hands in front of him as swiped across one of the monitors until the image that he wanted was displayed. "Right there, doc. There's something. The images the drones are getting through the amber are unclear but see that dark mass." He tapped on the projected image twice to zoom in. "There's three or four discrete objects, probably eighty-eight meters down or so. There's also some sort of heat source there. I will send up my Rover drone in the morning with its greater precision to see what those shapes are in detail."

"Amazing, Rix. How tall are those objects?"

He grinned at Lexie. "I'm guessing a bit under two meters. I'm not sure what that is but there's something there. Oh, and look at this image. This is from the more in-depth images I was taking from the edge." His hands flew over the projected images again until he stopped at one. "Now get this, the amberstone is only about a meter thick there so I was able to filter out its color much better. Tell me what do you see?"

She stared at the image and then stared at him. "Is that a wing?"

"Yeah, but the thing is, it has no dimensions. It's like its burnt into the soil underneath the amberstone. What the hell? And the wingspan on that thing -- at least two meters. I only got a partial image. But I swear that looks like a wing to me." Lexie's jaw dropped as she stared at Rix.

"What the hell happened here, Rix?"

\-------

Reya ignored Tabbris as she sat on the room's only couch. Tabbris stared at her with one eyebrow raised. "I've asked you multiple times if you'd like a reading device or other sources of human amusement. Why will not take what I am offering? I can tell you are bored."

"When's this Anael getting here? I want to go on my way." Reya glared at Tabbris.

"You do not understand. You cannot," Tabbris made air quotes, "go on your way. You are the Prophet, and you must be kept safe."

"Safe from who? Because, Tabby, the only one that's accosted me is you."

Tabbris frowned at her. "Safe from demons. Safe from angels that do not represent Heaven. Safe from predators that would love the power that your body would give them."

"Demons?"

"Yes. Corrupted souls of humans that reside in hell. Demons. What do you think is running rampant in the southwest? They've opened a gate from Hell in Las Vegas."

Reya looked startled. "There are demons on Earth?"

"Yes. And, unfortunately, there are more demons than angels because demons can make more demons, but we can't make more angels. That is why it is key to keep you safe. The demons have in their possession the demon tablet which can be used to increase their powers. They need the Prophet to decipher it."

Reya gasped as a woman dressed a loose fitting grey tunic, jeans, and high leather boots appeared behind Tabbris with the sound of flapping wings. Her auburn hair was gathered in a loose ponytail. "Hi there, sweetie. I'm Anael. Tabbris told me that you had arrived. Welcome."

"Why am I here?"

Anael smiled at her warmly. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but as Tabbris was just telling you there are demons out there that would just be thrilled to get their messy, dirty, stinky, sulfur-y hands on you. Asmodeus would have a field day with you. It would be highly unpleasant and painful for you."

"I need to go somewhere. Something is calling me," Reya's fists were clamped in frustration.

"What is it?" Anael responded soothingly.

"I don't know. All I know is it belongs to me. I'm supposed to be with it."

"Where is it, sweetie?"

"I don't know. Just southeast of Washington." Reya waved her hand in a general direction even though she had no idea which way she faced.

Anael's eyes narrowed, "That's just like…the rest of the United States except California and Oregon."

"Can't I just go?"

"I'm afraid not." Anael looked at Tabbris. "Please take care of our guest. I need to check something out."

Tabbris responded, "Yes, Sister."

Reya looked at the ground. Tabbris sat on the couch next to her. "I will keep you safe. No one will harm you."

"It's called free will, Tabby. You keeping me here is taking it away from me."

Tabbris looked at her thoughtfully. "It's for your safety. You are destined to be the Prophet. It's a great honor to be chosen to be the Prophet."

Reya looked up with a single tear streaking her face. "All my life, people have tried to hem me in. I had to grow up with a foot in two worlds. My mother's people wanted to me to act one way; my father's people another. Then my parents were killed in some freaky accident, and the state tried to make me do what they wanted. It sent me to live in home after home where I was lucky if some creepy old man didn't want to mess with me. So, I kept running away. I fought for my freedom. I earned it. What have you earned?"

Tabbris looked at her quietly. "I'm an obedient soldier. I help keep Heaven running."

"Being obedient isn't something you earned." Reya suddenly grimaced as a vision struck her. She could see four men, encased in a yellow bubble. Two of the men were embracing each other, while a younger man held a tablet pointing at something and an older taller stood next to him with his arm on his shoulder. She could hear a high-pitched sound. She recognized the tablet held by the young man as the thing that was calling her. Reya groaned, as the intense vision passed.

Tabbris had a hand on her shoulder. "Reya, are you okay?"

"I had a vision. I know what I need to get," Reya looked at Tabbris. "It's a stone tablet."

"Where? There's Word of God out there?"

"I don't know, Tabby." Reya yelled frustrated.

"Relax and I'll be back in a few minutes." Tabbris walked to the table, picked up a bottle of water, and handed it to Reya. "I'll report this to Anael."

Tabbris flew to the hallway outside Anael's office. She could hear voices within. She stopped. She could hear Anael talking, "With that last Prophet, how close are we to cracking their code?"

A voice she recognized as Iniad answered, "I think within one or two Prophets we will have it."

"Good. Then, we will be able to recreate the angel tablet from the remnants we have from the original one that was destroyed by Castiel. It's beyond repair for a single Prophet to fix, but if we channel the source of the power directly without having to filter it through a human we can do it," Anael sounded pleased with herself.

Tabbris' eyes widened. She flew to Castiel's favorite Heaven -- that of an autistic man flying a kite. She sat down. She had pulled Castiel from this spot once when he was to be reprogrammed. She felt conflicted -- she knew that to defy Anael would be to rebel and possibly fall, but what they were doing went against the system God had designed. He had separated the prophets from angels as a series of checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power. What Anael planned to do went against God's will.

She clenched her hands into fists and relaxed them several times. She wondered if this conflict is what Castiel felt when he rebelled. She paced back and forth looking at the ground for several minutes and then paused and looked up. She saw the joy on the man's face as he watched his kite drifting in the wind. Her spine straightened, and she looked up at the sky with determination. An angel's first mission was to protect humanity. She had a human that needed protection.

She flew back to where Reya was finally eating a candy bar. Tabbris knew Anael was on her way back; she could feel her coming closer. Reya's eyes opened wide as Tabbris broke a bottle of beer against the table and make a quick slash across her own arm with the jagged edge. She dipped her fingers into blood and started to paint something on the wall.

Anael appeared in the room. "Tabbris, what are you doing?"

Tabbris placed her hand in the middle of the sigil and Anael disappeared in a flash of light. Tabbris grabbed Reya's arm. "We're getting out of here."

Tabbris flew them to an old, abandoned church. Once there, she started painting sigils and wards on the walls quickly. Reya just stood there quietly. Tabbris turned to Reya. "I'm sorry, this is going to hurt."

"What is?"

Tabbris put her hand on Reya's chest. Reya felt a second of intense pain and then it passed. "I just etched an Enochian sigil onto your ribs, so the angels can't find you. That includes me." Tabbris took a deep breath and then sat on the floor with her back against a wall. She wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees.

Reya looked at her quizzically, "What the hell just happened, Tabby?"

Tabbris looked at her. "I protected you. That was my job. To protect you."

Reya sat next to her, their sides touching. "What's wrong?"

"Anael is not doing righteous things. She was going to use you to…" Tabbris stopped. She shook her head, shaking. "It can't be real. Anael was going to try to use you to decipher the code of the Prophets to bypass the way things are supposed to work. I don't understand. She killed the last Prophet. More than likely, she would have killed you."

Tabbris looked up at the sky. Her mouth was slightly open, and her face etched with horror.

"Tabby?"

Tabbris turned her head to look at Reya. "I just rebelled," Tabbris looked shattered. "We will be hunted and killed."

"What do we do?" Reya looked around her. The old church was empty except for some broken pews and a couple of metal folding chairs.

"For now, we rest a little bit, so I can regain some grace. Then, we must find that tablet you saw before anyone else does."

Reya put her hand on Tabbris arm and smiled. "Thank you, Tabby."

Tabbris looked at her and tilted her head. "Why do you call me that?"

Reye smiled. "Tabbris sounds stuck up or like the name of a river or something. I think Tabby fits you better."

The corner of Tabbris' mouth quirked up in a small smile. "I think it does too." She closed her eyes to meditate. Reya put her head on Tabbris' shoulder and fell asleep within a few minutes.


	5. Wayward Angels

April 2018

_Sam, Dean, Castiel, and Jack were researching at the library table when they heard a pounding noise at the front door of the bunker. Dean and Sam looked at each other._

_Dean said, "Cas and I will check that out. You guard Jack."_

_Sam nodded pulling out a gun, while Jack drew an angel blade. Dean and Castiel headed up the stairs and out to the front door of the bunker. The pounding continued._

_Dean shouted, "Who's out there?"_

_"Dean, it's me. I just want to talk. I promise not to stab Castiel this time," Lucifer's voice rang back._

_Castiel snorted, "You always stab me Lucifer. In the back, in the front. Why should we trust you?"_

_"Because Michael is going to come here soon, you bozos have no clue what to do, and I'm the only archangel on this reality's chessboard. And to be fair, Castiel, you always stab me too." Lucifer responded petulantly. "Look, I'm alone. You have Jack and he's supercharged Mario. He hates me and there's no way I can fight him and you. So, what do you have to lose?"_

_"My life, again." Castiel growled._

_Jack's voice called out from the floor below. "I want to meet him."_

_Sam looked at Jack. "I'm really not sure that's a good idea."_

_"I know it isn't, Sam. However, I have no idea how to stop the impending destruction of our planet. It took me a week just to learn how levitate a stupid pencil. If he can teach me to fight using some of my abilities, we have to take that chance on him. I've met this Michael. You have not. Do not worry. I will not trust him, and I know you are my family."_

_Jack started up the staircase with Sam following. When they got to Castiel and Dean. Castiel placed a hand on his arm. "No, Jack. He's dangerous and tricky."_

_Jack smiled at Castiel. "You are my father. You will always be my father. He cannot change that." Dean grimaced as he opened the door._

_Lucifer had backed up several feet away from the door. His eyes fell on Jack. "Son."_

_Jack growled, "You do not get to call me that. I am not your son. I chose my father." Castiel stood next to Jack with his angel blade ready to strike, while Dean and Sam stood slightly behind them._

_Lucifer looked hurt for a split second. "Ok, I deserve that. I wasn't really around for you. Although that really wasn't my fault."_

_"Do you know how to stop Michael from opening the rift?" Jack growled._

_Lucifer shrugged. "Not a clue. But I do know that you will need me to slow down Michael while you figure it out. Your books and your lore aren't going to have anything to help -- nothing the Men of Letters knew would translate to that reality. The only thing that could possibly help was the angel tablet, and Dumbledore there broke it when he was having a pissing match with Metatron."_

_Dean angrily took a step forward. Castiel put a hand on his arm to stop him._

_Jack's eyes glowed orange briefly. He started to move his arm forward with energy crackling._

_Lucifer smiled, "That's it. Give in to the dark side, Anakin."_

_The flash died in Jack's eyes. "I hate Anakin. Just so you know. I'm more like Rey."_

_Castiel smiled snarkily, "Remember, he hates villains. He wants to crush villains." Dean grinned in amusement._

_Lucifer frowned. "Let's start this all over. I want to be a team player. I won't pretend not to be a bad guy who will most likely screw you over in the end. But, for now, let's work together until we get rid of Michael. Then Jack and I can have our Darth Vader / Luke Skywalker moment. Who knows, maybe when we meet the emperor, I'll be the one that throws him in the pit to save Luke. What do you say, guys?"_

_Sam shuddered, looking at Lucifer. "Are the other angels going to help?"_

_Lucifer sighed. "Those guys are so lame. They want to wait until the rumble is over and try to take out the loser. Anael was such a disappointment."_

_Castiel squinted his eyes and tilted his head. "Doesn't that seem like a good idea from your perspective? We'd probably would be killed by Michael, but he'd be weakened before you had to take him on. It would seem to be in your best interests."_

_Lucifer laughed, "Oh my Dad! Why didn't I think of that?" He then looked serious, "Cassandra, my dad might be a deadbeat dad who lets his children play with matches until they burn themselves. But, I'm not. I will not sit by idly while Jack gets killed because you guys can't come up with a plan. It's in my best interest not to harm a pretty little hair on yours or the lumberjack twins' heads because Jack loves you. You've brainwashed him into being a Jedi instead of Sith."_

_Castiel looked at Jack. "It is up to you, Jack."_

_Dean protested, "Now, wait a minute."_

_Castiel looked at Dean. "If you don't agree with his decision, Jack and I can go with Lucifer and leave you out of it."_

_Sam interjected, "Cas…"_

_Castiel whirled to look at both of them, his eyes sparked blue and energy crackled around him. "You two have never been in a war between angels. You do not understand the utter devastation there will be. We have tried fruitlessly for months to figure out how to stop Michael and there isn't a way. If I had my way, I would leave you out of it and lock you in the bunker to be safe. You two are going to be killed…"_

_Jack interrupted. "Castiel, please, I don't want to see my family fight. I just don't see a choice." Jack looked between Sam and Dean. "I can't do it without him. We need Lucifer's help."_

_Dean looked to where Sam was shaking. "Sam?"_

_"I'll go let the warding down," Sam's face was pale as he turned to walk through the door._

_Dean looked angrily at Castiel, "When this goes south, and it will go south, I hope you live long enough for me to tell you I told you so."_

_Castiel's shoulders drooped as Dean turned around and stomped his way into the bunker. He looked at Jack lost and defeated. Lucifer grinned at Jack and clapped his hands together, "So, kid, where do we get started."_

_Jack looked straight into Lucifer's eyes without flinching, entering his personal space. "If you ever do anything to hurt my family, I will end you. I would rather kill you than hug you. It bears you well to remember that." Jack turned and hugged Castiel. "Come on, Father. Lucifer, you can follow behind us."_

=========

March 2058

Tabbris sat motionless while Reya slept next to her with her head on Tabbris' shoulder. She heard Reya's breathing speed up, and she started to shiver against her. Tabbris looked, and Reya's eyes were still closed. Tabbris didn't know whether to wake her up or to let her sleep. Reya spared her from having to decide by opening her eyes suddenly.

Reya blurted out, "I had another vision of an older woman in a place of arcane knowledge. She's alone, but she's looking for the same thing as us. I think. I think maybe she's looking for one of the men that is with the tablet. His name is Castiel."

Tabbris gasped. "Castiel is not a human. He's an angel. A seraph. He was lost during the Heavens Battle forty years ago."

"That's where the tablet is. At the site of the Heavens Battle." Reya looked convinced.

"Do you know where the woman is?"

"Near there. She lives in some sort of underground bunker. From the top of the bunker, you can see the dome. She was looking at it in my dream. And she then went down the side of the hill and entered the bunker. I think we should talk to her. There is some reason that I had the dream vision."

"I am going to go get you some food before we go there." Tabbris looked around nervously. "Please don't leave this warded area until I return."

After Tabbris left, Reya paced back and forth in the church. Everything was so surreal. Yesterday morning, she was working in her shop and trying to deal with an obnoxious, angry guy. Now, she was on the run with an angel. It all seemed crazy. She felt crazy, but her visions and dreams were not random. She knew she needed to get the tablet and to talk to the woman. She heard the fluttering of wings and turned to face Tabbris.

Tabbris carried a bag of donuts and a cup of coffee. "I'm afraid that most of my duties were in Heaven, so I'm not sure what it is you that you would like to eat. I hope this suffices." Tabbris looked hopeful as she offered the food.

"It's great, Tabby. I'll teach you about the basic food groups later," Reya smiled. She was drawn to Tabbris, despite the angel's awkwardness and seeming insecurity.

As Reya ate, Tabbris said, "I can fly us near the Heavens Battle site. We can then see if we can find her 'bunker' as you called it. We'll need to be careful. An angel is usually in that vicinity to watch what the humans do there."

"Sounds like a plan," Reya mumbled as she took a bite out of her donut.

Reya finished the donuts and stood up. Tabbris held on to her arm. "Are you ready?"

"I think it east from Heavens Battle, because the sun was rising from behind her as she faced the dome."

Tabbris felt nervous leaving the protected confines of the church. She hoped that their destination would be well protected. She flew them east of the dome and landed in a field. Reya turned in a circle. "I think it's that way," she said pointing north.

Tabbris flew them to the top of a hill in that direction. Reya grinned, as she pointed to the entrance. "There it is. Let's walk the rest of the way. That flying stuff is cool and all, but it is making me a bit nauseous."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could make it more comfortable," Tabbris looked distressed.

"Tabby, stop that. It's all good. You're awesome." Reya hugged her, while Tabbris stood awkwardly still. Reya said, "This is the part where you hug back."

"Oh." Tabbris hugged her. Reya turned and made her way to the bunker entranced. Tabbris followed her with her angel blade drawn.

\-----

Claire heard pounding on the door. She pulled out a gun with silver bullets in one hand and an angel blade in the other. She went to the door. The knocking continued louder. The only one who knew the location of the bunker was Alex, so she really wasn't expecting visitors. She paused at the door and used her wrist device to access the hidden camera, so she could see who was outside. She squinted at the image of a small Asian woman with messy curly hair in a business suite and a taller, darker-skinned woman in jeans and a blue t-shirt. The Asian woman's outfit screamed angel to Claire. Claire swiftly cut her arm to make a banishment sigil behind her on the wall and cautiously opened the door.

"Hello," she said looking at the two visitors. "Do I know you?"

The taller woman answered, "I'm Reya, and this is Tabby. I had a vision with you in it. I'm psychic." She waited for the inevitable disbelief; however, Claire just nodded to her. Reya looked nervously at the gun and the blade that Claire carried.

Claire glared at them, "Okay. So, you're a human psychic and that's an angel. I'm Claire, a hunter."

Tabbris blinked. Humans usually couldn't tell an angel by looking at them. "You would be correct. I'm an angel. I believe we shared a common friend." She tilted her head slightly. "His name was Castiel."

Claire went pale. She staggered backwards a moment. "Is he dead, then?"

Tabbris squinted and looked over Claire's shoulder. "I assumed he died in the Heavens Battle. However, I don't have definitive proof of that. It's his absence that has been telling. No one has seen him or his charges since that day."

"His charges?"

Tabbris nodded, "The Winchesters. The humans it was his job to protect."

Claire glared at her, "They weren't his job. They were his family."

Tabbris squinted. "He was an angel. His family would be angels."

Claire glared at her. "No, we were his family. Angels were thoughtless dicks that hurt him and screwed him over every chance they could get."

Reya interrupted, "Time out. Let's talk about this more peacefully. May we please come in?"

Tabbris looked at Reya. "I cannot enter. It is warded against angels."

"Give me one good reason, and I'll let you in," Claire looked at Reya intently.

Reya looked at her. "I had a vision with Castiel in it."

"What's the angel's real name? Tabby isn't an angel name."

Tabbris stood up straighter, a little miffed to lose her nickname so fast. "My name is Tabbris."

Claire laughed, almost hysterically. "You're the angel of free will and self-determination?"

Tabbris looked around. "Why is that funny?"

Claire snorted, "Just is. Give me a moment." Claire walked back into the bunker.

Tabbris looked at Reya, "I don't think she likes me very much."

Reya smiled reassuringly. "I didn't like you very much at first, but you've kind of grown on me." Tabbris smiled with the widest smile Reya had seen from her thus far.

Claire re-emerged. "Ok. You guys can come in now." Claire walked down the stairs in front of them, limping slightly. She led them into the library, where she sat at one of the tables. Tabbris and Reya sat across from her.

"Okay. Spill the beans. What do you know about Castiel and why did you come to find me?"

Tabbris looked confused. "We have no beans."

Claire rolled her eyes, as Reya laughed for a moment. "She's sort of really literal and doesn't understand metaphors or idioms very well."

Claire looked distant for a moment. She then smiled, "Yeah, Cas was that way too. He always made me smile, when I wasn't angry at him. We had our moments, but I loved him a lot. He was my dad in a way. Friggin' angels."

"I'm sitting right here," Tabbris looked between them indignantly.

"Cool your wings," Claire retorted. "What was your vision of Cas?"

"There were four men. One of them really tall with long brown hair. He had his arm on a kid, like maybe 18 or 19. That kid was carrying something. Then there was a guy with short-cropped, dark blonde hair who was kissing a messy haired guy in a tan trench coat."

Claire gave a short nod, "Kissing, huh?"

"Well, they weren't moving in my vision, but their arms were around each other and their faces were smashed together. They were frozen in something."

Claire let out a small, brittle laugh, "Dean finally did something about it literally at the last second. Assbutt."

Reya looked confused.

"Ok, here's my story. I was a kid. An angel used my dad as a vessel. Lots of things happened to me and I was homeless, and then the angel, Castiel, came back to help me. He and the Winchesters found me a real home. Dean and Cas were kind of like dads to me. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that they were completely and overwhelmingly in love, but neither of the doofs would tell the other. Seems like Dean finally grew a pair at the last possible moment. The thing is -- Cas had to use me as a vessel for a short period of time when I was a kid. Ever since then, I always felt his grace except for a time when he was dead before he was resurrected for the um…fourth time I think. I still feel his grace. I think he's alive."

Tabbris narrowed her eyes. "Were they alive in your vision, Reya?"

"Well, they weren't all decaying or anything. They looked like they were just like unmoving, surrounded in golden stuff. I assume that's the dome."

Tabbris leaned back in her chair with a look of wonder. "If Castiel is still alive, he'll know what to do to protect you properly. Castiel has protected prophets before."

Claire stared at Tabbris, "She said she was a psychic, not a prophet. Which is she?"

Reya cleared her throat, "Well, I was a psychic and a dreamer before two days ago. Yesterday, I sort of became the Prophet of the Lord apparently."

Claire mouth dropped open. "You got to be shitting me."

Tabbris looked offended. Reya muttered, "Just another saying." Tabbris looked off in the distance with a vacant look.

Claire shook her head with a small smile. "She reminds me so much of Cas. She might just be ok and not a dick."

Reya said, "Do you know what a Word of God is?"

"Tablet. Demon, Angel, Leviathan, probably more of them." Claire shrugged. "Prophets read them. They have powerful spells and shit on them."

"Yeah. In the thirty-six hours or so since my head exploded and I became a Prophet, a tablet has been calling to me to come get it. The kid in my vision is holding it. We need to get it before the angels do. The angels are doing some bad crap, and want to drill my head so they can get Prophet super powers or something, and the demons want me to read some demon tablet crap for them."

Claire's eyes widened. "I'm so glad I'm not you."

Reya shrugged, "Tell me about it. So, what's the lowdown on the guys with Castiel."

Claire looked at her, trying to decide how much to tell her. She decided she might as well say everything. "So, there was this alternate reality with the archangel Michael with an army coming to attack our world. Two hunters, Dean and Sam Winchester, the archangel Lucifer, Castiel, and the Nephilim Jack tried to repel them. Next thing I know, I get word that there's a big gold dome in the backyard and Cas and Dean aren't picking up their cellphones. I tried to find them, God knows I tried. It was just too much for me to do." Claire looked away.

"So what tablet do they have? And what's a Nephilim?"

"Michael had an angel tablet. Maybe, the boys got their hands on it. Something stopped the invasion," Claire responded. "A Nephilim is a…"

Tabbris interrupted, "…an abomination that occurs when an angel mates with a human. They are forbidden. Lucifer made one when he was free. I was hunting it down before I lost contact. Then, Lucifer left…"

"You were hunting Jack? Now, I hate you. Jack wasn't an abomination. He was a sweet, kind kid that liked nougat and Star Wars. It's not his fault that his biological father was Lucifer. Castiel and the boys were raising him," Claire looked at Tabbris belligerently.

Reya intervened again, "Time out. Tabby, did you ever meet Jack?"

"No, he was hidden. Lucifer left to find him himself."

"Then how do you know he was bad? You didn't know Anael was bad until yesterday. Maybe what is supposed to be bad is good and what is supposed to be good is bad," Reya looked at Tabbris.

Tabbris frowned. "Everything is suspect now."

Claire stared between them. "What happened to you guys? How did you get together?"

Tabbris looked uncomfortable. "I was sent to get the Prophet by Anael yesterday. A new Prophet is activated when the previous one dies. I found out that the previous Prophet was killed while Anael and Idias were hacking him to decode the Prophet programming, so they can reforge the angel tablet. The tablet is too obliterated to be fixed by the Prophet because of the limitations of a human body. However, if they decode the Prophets…"

Claire's face dawned with understanding, "They could fix the angel tablet and be able to read it. All its powers would be at their fingertips."

Tabbris sighed, "It would be like Metatron all over again, but with someone who isn't as narcissistic with delusions of grandeur that would ultimately lead to their downfall. So, they'd be far more difficult to beat."

Reya looked confused, while Claire just nodded and said, "We are so screwed, aren't we?"

Tabbris shook her head. "As long as Reya is alive, another Prophet won't be activated. So, I must keep her safe. However, if they get their hands on the angel tablet that the Nephilim has, we will all be screwed. They won't be able to read it without Reya most likely, but they will have its power and I don't know how much of the Prophet programming they have figured out. Every angel is probably looking for the two of us. Perhaps, we're lucky that there aren't as many angels as there used to be."

Claire stared, "You rebelled, didn't you?"

Tabbris looked ashamed and stared down at the table. She whispered, "Yes. I went against Heaven's directives."

"No, doof. That is epically awesome. You're like Castiel 2.0," Claire quipped. She went quiet for a moment. "Your vessel doesn't have any kids, does she?"

"I was uncomfortable taking a human as a vessel, so I found one who said yes as she was dying and being reaped. She was single with no children. It felt better that way."

"You couldn't be any more perfect. Well, you would be if you hadn't called Jack an abomination. Don't do that again, and we'll be fine," Claire smiled warmly. Reya let out a deep sigh of relief. She hadn't looked forward to what would happen if the two couldn't work out their differences.

Claire looked between the two of them. "So, to summarize. Somehow, we need to get the guys out of the amberstone and retrieve the angel tablet, while not letting Reya get captured by an angel or a demon. Does that sound about right?"

Tabbris sighed, "Sounds hopeless, huh?"

Claire laughed. "For a Winchester, it's a typical Thursday night."


	6. Endings and Beginnings

_Late April 2018_

_Dean sat on his bed, as he pulled out the phone to make the call he had been putting off. With friggin' Lucifer in the bunker working with Jack, the stony silence between him and Castiel, and Sam barely leaving his bedroom, he felt overwhelmed and hopeless. He dialed Jody's number._

_"Hey, Dean. What's up?" Jody answered the phone._

_Dean laughed sadly, "World's ending."_

_"You're not joking, are you?" Jody asked dismayed._

_"Jody, look. Michael and his army are probably on their way here. Jack and Lucifer are both sensing something strange going on in the fabric of reality. I think you should take the girls and go up in the mountains. Maybe to Rufus' cabin in Whitefish, Montana."_

_Jody's voice rose, "Did you say Lucifer?"_

_"Yeah, he's here training Jack. It pretty much sucks. Everything pretty much sucks," Dean sighed heavily._

_"Dean, I'm not going to run and hide. It's my job to protect people." Jody said firmly._

_"There ain't protecting from these angels, Jody. The best thing you can do for the girls is to take them up in the mountains. That's what the Bobby in the alternate reality did. He just hid up in the mountains and picked off angels and demons as they harassed him. Please, Jody, for me. Just go a long vacation, so I have one less thing to worry about."_

_"I'll do whatever I need to do to protect my girls. Tell me, Dean, what else is going on? I mean besides the imminent destruction of the planet."_

_"Sam is scared and suffering PTSD from being near Lucifer. He barely comes out of his room to eat. I have to take him food. Cas and I are mad at each other and not talking. And I have friggin' Lucifer hanging out in the library trying to convince Jack to do who knows what. And I can't reach Mom on the phone." Dean sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I just don't know what to do."_

_"Well, fix what you can fix. I'm assuming kicking Lucifer out of the bunker is out of the question, so we'll skip that one. Send Sam outside to play for a few days, but don't let him stray too far so that he can't get back to you in a hurry. Apologize to Cas, because I'm about 90% sure you're the one being a dick. Trust Jack to make good choices. And, I'll try to find your mother for you."_

_Dean softly smiled, "What would I do without you, Jody?"_

_"Dean, seriously. Whatever happens, I love you boys. When I lost my family, you let me join yours. Then, you gave me a whole new family. I can't imagine how horrible and empty my life would have been if I hadn't met you two. Tell Sam I love him, okay?"_

_"Love you too, Jody. And, please for the love of Chuck, take the girls into the mountains."_

_Dean hung up the phone. He buried his face in his hands._

_Castiel said softly from the doorway, "Dean."_

_Dean looked at him warily, "Yeah?"_

_"Can I come in?"_

_Dean nodded. Castiel walked over and sat on the bed next to him. "Dean, I'm sorry that I forced Lucifer on you. I really don't want him around. It's just… I told Kelly that I would take care of Jack and teach him, but I can't teach him what he needs to know to make sure he lives. Believe me, I do think Lucifer will kill me before this is all over."_

_Dean looked at him sadly, "I get why. I'm sorry me and Sam just weren't enough. I'm sorry we're useless."_

_Castiel squinted his eyes. "I never said you were useless."_

_"You said we're just going to get killed."_

_Castiel smiled sadly, "In all honesty, I'm going to get killed too. I only hope that Jack manages not to get killed and stops Michael. I'm usually pretty useless. Baby in a trench coat? Remember that?"_

_"We're still a couple of dumbasses," Dean smiled slowly._

_"Yeah. Ten years and counting of dumbassery," Castiel stared into Dean's eyes. "We gave Jack the foundation. He'll do the right thing. I have faith in him and in us. We'll get through this."_

_"I swear to God, if you let Lucifer kill you before he kills me, I'll figure out how to haunt your ass forever. I don't want to go through what I went through last time ever again," Dean glared at him. "Don't ever do that again."_

_Castiel gave him a half-smile. "I'll do my best, Dean. I have a lot to live for." Castiel took Dean's hand and intertwined their fingers. "When this is over, I get to kill Lucifer."_

_Dean snorted, "I think that honor should go to Sam."_

_"Agreed."_

 

========

 

March 2058

 Lexie stared at the images she had downloaded, as she sat on her couch drinking a glass of wine with her feet up on the table. She tapped her wrist device and her holographic assistant appeared. "Kara, what bird does that wing pattern match?"

 Kara paused. "The closest bird would be the Martial Eagle that is native to Sub-Sahara Africa. However, there are some differences in the upper wing."

 Lexie hesitated before asking, "Do angels exist?"

 "There is no scientifically based proof of their physical existence. However, cultural evidence suggests either a shared mythology and oral tradition originated before the spread of mankind throughout the continents or some built-in aspect of human psychology causes humans to think of a higher order of being and an eternity beyond their lifespan."

 Lexie traced the edge of the wine glass. "How about non-scientifically based proof? Any charred wings that I should know about?"

 "For a span of years between 2011-2017 there were multiple cases of charred wings showing up in at crime scenes at locations throughout the world that closely match those of the Martial Eagle. A huge spike occurred in 2013, but the number fell after that. After 2018, no additional cases existed."

 "Show me the photos from crime scenes."

 Kara's image was replaced with a series of pictures. Lexie was surprised how close they looked to her image.

 Lexie frowned. "Were there any significant events in 2011 that preceded the crimes."

 "In 2011, there were several unexplained phenomena involving a man in a trench coat. A minister in a church was killed in front of his congregation. A leper colony was cured. Many people at a KKK meeting were killed in what looked like a massive lightning strike. A group of motivational speakers were killed in an intense flash of white light. Should I continue enumerating?"

 "No, that's enough Kara. Any pictures of the trench-coated man?"

 "No actual pictures, but the stained glass at one church spontaneously changed after a man in a trench coat seemingly killed a minister." Kara displayed a picture of the stained glassed window.

 Lexie sprayed the wine she was drinking all over her coffee table. She could swear that the image was Jimmy Novak. She pulled out the old photograph and compared the photograph to the image. Her hand shook as she called the number on its back.

 Claire answered, "Hello."

 "Hi Claire. I was wondering if we could talk. I want to ask you a few questions."

 Claire went quiet for a moment. "I think it might be good for you to come to me. If I send you the coordinates, can you meet me somewhere outside of Lebanon?"

 Lexie felt a little nervous. She didn't think Claire was dangerous but going out to meet someone she didn't know where at night seemed a little foolish. She must have been quiet too long, because Claire reiterated, "Lexie. I found some information about what might be enclosed in that dome. An artifact of historical relevance. I have someone here who knows some helpful information."

 Lexie's curiosity overwhelmed her common sense. "Ok. I'll be there."

 -------

 Claire stood along the road, waiting for Lexie. When Lexie pulled up next to her, Claire got into the passenger seat, "It's a little way up that road."

 Lexie went the way Claire directed her. Claire had her stop the car in front of what looked like an old electric plant.

 "This way," Claire led her to the bunker door, and they descended into the war room. Lexie stared with her mouth wide opened. The forensics specialist within her was amazed by the age and design of the bunker and the gauges, wires, and art deco designs on the walls.

 "Lexie, I don't bring people in here casually. I trust you not to tell anyone about this place. Please." Claire paused at the bottom of the stairs and looked at her imploringly.

 "Of course, Claire. I would love to catalog all the equipment and antiques in here. It's amazing. It's beyond amazing."

 Claire smiled, "It ain't much, but it's home to us." She led Lexie into the library where Tabbris and Reya were sitting at the table. "Lexie, this is Tabby and Reya. They have some information for you. But it's going to sound really weird. So, I ask you to hear us out before you react." Claire walked over to a cabinet in the corner and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and four glasses. She poured each of them a healthy dose, before sitting back in the chair.

 Claire said, "Tabby, you go."

Tabbris moved awkwardly in the chair before beginning. "On May 17, 2018, the army of the archangel Michael, alternate world version, came here from his reality. They triangulated as close as they could to the location of Lucifer, an archangel in this reality, when opening their portal. Lucifer had tried to garner support from the angels to aid in the battle, but they refused. A war between Michael's angels and Lucifer's followers commenced. Michael killed Lucifer. The Nephilim, Lucifer's son, somehow got enough energy to smite all the angels that had already made their way into the world before creating the amberstone to ensure that the rest of Michael's followers could not make their way into this world through the rift. In the power vacuum that was created, Anael, Lucifer's right hand, seized control of Heaven. Heaven assumed that the Nephilim Jack, Castiel, and the Winchesters were killed."

Claire said, "That's pretty accurate except for the boys being Lucifer's followers. They weren't too fond of him."

Lexie stared at Tabbris quizzically, "And you know this how?"

Tabbris said calmly, "I'm an angel."

"What?" Lexie gasped.

Tabbris looked at Claire. "Should I show her to prove it?"

"Couldn't hurt," Claire responded.

Tabbris stood. Energy crackled around her, her eyes sparked blue, and the shadow of massive wings appeared behind her. Then in a second, it was all gone and Tabbris sat back down.

Lexie looked in awe. She felt all the hair rise on the back of her neck. Shaking slightly, she pressed her wrist device and said, "Display wing image 3." An image of the wings burned into the surface under the dome was projected as a hologram. "I can't believe I'm asking this but do those belong to angels?"

Tabbris sighed sadly, "When an angel dies, their grace is ejected from the vessel and is sent to the Empty. This is accompanied by a large flash of light. For a split second, the wings are manifested in this dimension, but humans cannot see them because the light is too intense. The energy burns a shadow of their wings into the ground. That is most likely a member of Michael's army. Lucifer's or Michael's wing span would have been much larger, because they are archangels."

"What do you mean vessel?" Lexie looked quizzically.

Tabbris squinted at her. "An angel not in a vessel is multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent. You would not be able to hear my voice or see the true me without being harmed. We use humans as vessels to contain our energy. A human must agree to be possessed before they can be used as a vessel. In my case, the woman was dying, and I took over her body as she went to Heaven. I'm in here alone. Most other angels have both a human and an angel within them."

Claire said, "My father, Jimmy Novak, was Castiel's vessel. When Cas was destroyed by Lucifer during the first apocalypse, my father went to Heaven. Then God resurrected Cas."

Lexie took a long drink from her whiskey. "I don't know what to think. I mean, I've seen what I've seen. I have no idea what to do." She looked over her shoulder at the staircase up to the exit, longing for a moment to escape.

"I know it's a lot, Lexie. But unfortunately, there's more. Reya's turn."

Reya leaned back and put her feet on the table. "I'm a psychic and dreamer. I'm also the prophet or some such. Anyway, I had a vision of the Winchesters, Castiel, and Jack being whole and frozen in the amberstone. Jack has a very dangerous artifact -- something called a Word of God tablet. We need to get it, because in the wrong hands, it could end the earth as we know it. I'm the only one that can read it."

Claire said, "And I don't believe Cas is dead. I can still feel his angel grace. I think they are all just in stasis. Waiting for someone to kiss 'em and wake 'em up."

"Who exactly are the Winchesters?" Lexie looked between them. She was overwhelmed by the crush of information that they were throwing at her.

"Sam and Dean Winchester. Hunters of all things supernatural. They saved the world from ending apocalyptically multiple times. They saved me multiple times. I love them." Claire said simply.

"And where did the amberstone come from?"

Claire shrugged, "That I can't tell you. I think maybe Jack did it with his Nephilim mojo."

"What do you want from me?" Lexie asked looking between everyone nervously.

"You have one thing we don't," Claire said.

"What?" Lexie asked apprehensively.

"Access to where Team Free Will is frozen." Claire smiled sweetly.


	7. Team Free Will Revisited

_Early May 2018_

_Dean looked up at the bunker door as he heard it open. Lucifer, Castiel, and Jack stepped in and came down the stairs. Jack looked exhausted, Castiel radiated anger, and Lucifer was clearly frustrated._

_"So, guys, I'm guessing things aren't going well?" Dean looked at them._

_Castiel said, "Dean, come speak to me in the kitchen, please." His tone was terse and clipped. He didn't wait for Dean to respond but headed there. Dean got up and followed him without a word._

_Lucifer sat at the table, while Jack sat across from him. "You just got to relax, kid. It's in you. You just got to let it out."_

_Jack just stared at the table in front of him without responding._

_Lucifer sighed. "Ok. Jack, I want to say something while your 'father' is out of the room. When all this crap is over, all of it, you need to go take over Heaven. Michael coming could just be the first wave of a much bigger threat. Sadly, Heaven sort of needs you. I know that the Winchesters and Castiel are going to tell you to stay here and be part of the family, but there's this other family upstairs that's been without a father for a long time. They need you to reform them. I'm not good at that stuff, but you will be, Jack."_

_Jack looked up at him, glaring. "My mother told me to find my own path. I could be whatever I choose."_

_"She's right. You get to choose. Castiel and those idiots always get all mushy, huggy when there is real work to be done. Wars aren't won by always doing the nice thing. Wars are won by being better, stronger, and more aggressive than the other side. Those guys -- they'll always try to take the high road and be the good guys. That's all well and good when we are talking about a small threat, but the war that is coming is bigger than me or you, kid. Now, I'm going to do my best to kill Michael for you or die trying. He's my job. But from the ashes, kid, you got to fix this place."_

_Jack looked at him cautiously, "I thought you wanted to destroy the world. Bring about the apocalypse."_

_Lucifer sighed. "I did until I saw the apocalypse in action on Michael's world. That isn't fun for anyone. I want better for you, Jack. Take your rightful place in Heaven with or without me and Castiel. You are the future. Heaven needs you. You need to command the angels to be your army."_

_Sam walked into the library slowly, staring at Lucifer. "Jack, don't listen to him. Lucifer always twists everything until up seems like down and down seems like up."_

_Lucifer smiled at Sam and winked. "Where you been, Sammy? Haven't seen you around. Still hiding in your warded room? And him and me are talking angel business. Not any of your concern."_

_"It is my concern when you are trying to use Jack to further your own needs again…"_

_Lucifer stood up with his eyes flashing red, and growled. "Sam, get with the program. I'm probably going to die out there, and someone has to get the kid ready to save the world. It ain't going to be you or your brother he'll need. And Castiel is totally inept at fixing things. I thought you'd get that with how many times he's broken things."_

_Jack yelled, "Stop it." He brought his fist down on the table, shattering it as a ball of energy crackled around his fist. "Do not insult Castiel and my family, Lucifer. Your training hasn't been working. I don't even know why I am trying anymore."_

_Lucifer smiled slyly. "You just got to get mad, kid, and the power will come. See what you just did. You just need to get good and angry. Rage will fuel your power."_

_Jack looked at Sam, lost and confused. "What do I do?"_

_Sam ignored Lucifer and walked over to Jack. "Your best. You do your best."_

_Lucifer rolled his eyes. "When apocalypse now gets here, it's not going to be my fault if the world burns. Just remember that as you go all mushy on him. Did your dad tell you to do your best or did he stick a gun in your hand and tell you to kill things? Where do you think Dean gets his spunky determination from -- it wasn't from warm fuzzies and bowls of oatmeal, it's because he's a killer. Your dad trained him to be a killer. It's why you, Sam, will always be the weaker one. Your dad didn't succeed into turning you into one."_

_Dean burst into the room, "What the hell is going on in here?"_

_Lucifer said, "Nothing. That's the problem." Lucifer stormed up the stairs and out the door._

_Sam stood shaking. Jack wrapped his arms around Sam, "It's ok, Sam. I've got you."_

_Castiel stood in the doorway, staring into the room and wondering what he had done to his family._

 

====================================================

 

March 2058

Lexie looked around at the trio. "How is me having access to the amberstone supposed to help? There's scanners, guards, motion detectors, and all sorts of security in place to prevent  unplanned, unauthorized access."

Claire asked, "Are there motion detectors on the top of the dome?"

"No, but there's no way for you to breach the perimeter without setting off dozens of alarms."

Claire shrugged, "Can we go in from the top?"

"No, there's an EMP barrier above it that will stop anything that flies over it at less than 500 feet. We have to keep our drones below that barrier."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Our aerial expert doesn't use electronics," Claire smiled.

"Then we have to make our way through the amberstone," Lexie protested.

"I believe we can cast a burrowing spell." Claire said. "I had to cast one once to get rid of a particularly uncooperative ghoul. It would be much bigger than that one once, but Tabby can probably get us better spell components."

"Magic is real too?" Lexie's eyes widened.

Tabbris tilted her head slightly as she replied, "Most of my own abilities come from being able to control wavelengths.  Magic could just be considered another means of manipulating wavelengths and energies. Science and magic are not mutually exclusive but rather different means to control the molecular structure and wavelengths of the things around you."

"Which leads us to our final two problems," Claire said. "Where in this ten square mile dome can I find four human bodies? And will you help us?"

Lexie felt overwhelmed. She was like Alice falling through the looking glass, but she was still continually falling.

Reya said, "I feel your pain, Lex. I didn't know anything about angels a few days ago. Now, I know far more than I ever wanted to. I been screwed over six ways by sundown since I got this prophet gig. Now, I am Heaven's most wanted. I'm just going with the flow at this point, because I can protest, rant, and rave that things aren't possible. But Tabby here is real. And my visions have been pretty specific. This were so much easier last week when I just needed to scrape up enough business to pay the rent." Reya drained her glass of whiskey and poured herself some more. "This is serious though. I know that bad things are going to happen if someone else gets their hands on the tablet. We're the only ones that know about it right now, but it doesn't need a psychic to know that the tablet is going to be on everyone's radar a lot more the more that you guys dig."

Claire looked at Lexie. "I know it's a lot to ask of you. Your whole career, your whole life could be screwed up by helping us. But… aren't you a little bit curious? There's this whole other world that you don't know anything about. The things we can show you. The places we can go. Do you want an adventure? I'll warn you though, it's sorta dangerous." She indicated her knee. "I've lost a lot of people I care about. People I could have loved and people I did love. However, I also helped save the world too by helping Sam and Dean."

Lexie got out of the chair and paced, trying to figure out what to do. "I'll be fired if I breach protocol and do unapproved excavating."

Claire shrugged, "We can try to do it without you. Maybe we can do a location spell to figure out where they are."

Lexie stopped pacing, seeming to make a decision. "I am not positive, but I think I could tell you the coordinates tomorrow. My coworker Rix and I are doing more imaging over the core of the dome. That is where I think they are. All I need to do is confirm the objects we saw are their bodies."

"If you just get us the coordinates, we can do the rest on our own, Lexie. No harm no, foul," Claire said.

"No. I came here to find out what happened. I picked my career because I want to understand this place and what happened here. You guys seem to have the answers. I want to know the truth."

Claire smiled, "Welcome to new Team Free Will. We have a scientist, a prophet, an angel and a worn-out, gimpy hunter. We got this."

\-----

The next morning, Lexie stood next to Rix as he flew the Rover drone to do the more detailed imaging. They stared at the monitor waiting for the filtering to remove the effects of the amberstone to finish.

"Whoa," Rix said. "See right there. That's an arm I think. And it looks like three maybe four people. There's these two over here. That one has something in his hand I think. Those are two distinct figures. This mass over here I think are two but they are really close in each other's personal space. Maybe, they are hugging or something. This is sort of like Pompei, don't you think? They're standing upright. Isn't that weird? I guess they got caught in the amberstone before they could react."

Lexie noted the coordinates. "It's fascinating. I'll make sure to write up the report for this. Great work, Rix."

Rix beamed under her compliments. "Was your idea, Doc. I'd just still be doing a map grid if you hadn't suggested that."

Lexie paused before leaving Rix's workstation. "I always have appreciated your work, Rix. You really rock. Always remember that. Why don't you bring the drone down and start working on the area near where the fissure was. That's probably the next area of interest."

"Sure, Doc. See you later."

"I've got an appointment with…" Lexie thought quickly, "a realtor this afternoon. I got to get out of our temp housing. It's depressing."

Lexie got back to her office trailer. She pulled up the images that Rix had captured and then downloaded them to her personal storage. She sighed and mumbled, "I'm sorry, Rix." She deleted them from his files and the backups.

She quickly went to her car and drove to the bunker.

\----

After she got to the bunker, Claire helped Lexie park her car in the garage. Claire sighed at the place that Dean's Impala should be. She hoped they could find a way to retrieve Baby for Dean at some point, but for now, all she could do is concentrate on the boys.

As they entered the bunker, Tabbris and Reya were huddled over a bowl emitting green smoke. Tabbris was dropping components into it, while Reya was reading from a book. Lexie stared at them with wide eyes.

Claire said simply, "They're busy making the burrowing spell. So, you got the coordinates?"

"Yeah. And you might want to see this." Lexie touched her wrist device. "Show Rover's imaging." A holographic image was displayed that showed the men. "See those 4 masses. When I zoom in, they become the top people's heads and other assorted body parts."

Claire gasped.  She pointed to the one with the hand extended. "That's Jack. That's Sam next to him. He's super tall, like 6'5" or something." She squinted. "I think that one is Cas, and that one is Dean. They're my family. You found my family." Claire spontaneously hugged Lexie. "Oops, I guess we are huggers now."

Lexie hugged back.

Claire glanced over to where Tabbris and Reya had just finished enchanting the rod for the burrowing spell. "Guess what, guys? Tonight, we're going to be the cavalry and save the dudes in distress."


	8. Back to the Future

_May 17, 2018_

 

_Castiel and Dean were sharing a few quiet moments in the kitchen, drinking coffee before any of the others joined them. Lucifer was still outside of the bunker, somewhere nearby. Jack was in his room, trying to relax watching cartoons. Sam was still asleep._

  _Castiel looked at Dean, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I brought Lucifer here. I just thought… I'm useless. Jack is still having problems trying to harness his abilities greater than he already had. Bringing Lucifer here only made things worse."_

  _"At least Jack won't have any delusions about his father."_

  _Castiel sighed. "In a way, Lucifer is right. Angels are usually full of righteous fury. Jack only gets angry to defend us."_

  _Dean shook his head slightly, "I remember when you were full of righteous fury. You were a dick back then."_

  _"But a powerful dick. Look at how fall I've fallen."_

  _"Cas, answer me this," Dean put his hand on top of Castiel's. "When you told Kelly that you would raise Jack for her, did you imagine that she'd want you to turn him into something like Raphael or Michael?"_

  _"That's not what she would have wanted," Castiel stared at Dean intently._

  _"Lucifer is right. We are going into this with squat. But the other alternative is to turn Jack into something we might have to fight and kill later. What's the right thing to do?"_

  _"To show Jack that there's a better way."_

  _Dean smiled, "I'm betting that once the day arrives, Jack will find the strength inside him to protect us and the world. He just can't get angry on command like Lucifer. But when you're threatened, Jack will unload a whole world of hurt on whatever is threatening you. I believe that without a doubt. Am I happy we haven't figured out a way to stop Michael? No, I'm beyond friggin' terrified. But I have faith in you, me, Sam, and Jack. We'll find a way. We always have. We always will. Go Team Free Will."_

  _Jack staggered into the kitchen. "I feel the energy rift. It's starting to open."_

  _Castiel and Dean stared at each other. Dean stood up calmly, "I guess it's show time, kid. Let me go grab Sam. Cas, you want to try to call Lucifer. And, Jack. I have faith in you."_

  _Three hours later, Lucifer was dead and Team Free Will was frozen in time._

 ===================

 March 2058

After some bickering back and forth on whether to bring Reya, the team gathered for Tabbris to fly them to the top of the dome. Tabbris was of the firm opinion that Reya should stay in the safety of the bunker, so neither angels nor demons could capture her. Reya was adamant that she'd go. Finally, Claire sighed and said, "Free will; it's Reya's choice." Reya smiled triumphantly.

Tabbris sulked as she flew them to the top of the dome as soon as it was dark. They moved about 40 feet west from being directly on top of the men so that they could angle the burrowing spell a bit. It was still a steep climb, but it gave it at least a slight incline so it wouldn't be straight down. Claire decided her knee would be unable to make the climb, so she tied rope around her waist and tied the other end to Lexie. "Tabbris and I will make sure we can pull you out."

Tabbris stood on guard, while Reya pointed the rod at the ground and said, "Cavo." A tunnel started appearing slowly within the amberstone.  Claire was sitting on the side of the tunnel they had burned through the amberstone, holding a rope attached to Lexie. She braced her legs on the other side of the tunnel.

Claire said, "Break the rod when you want it to stop." Lexie, with Reya following her, entered the tunnel and slowly made their way down it.  About twenty minutes passed before Lexie and Reya reached the boys.

Tabbris was nervous the whole time. She murmured to Claire that she could feel angels nearby. Claire pulled her angel blade out and stuck it into the amberstone where she could pull it out quickly.

"We are almost to them," Lexie called out.

Tabbris tilted her head. "I think angels are coming." Tabbris pulled her angel blade out.

Claire called down, "Break Jack or Castiel out first."

Lexie could see the men through the now thin piece of amberstone. Reya broke the rod to stop further burrowing. Lexie took out a small set of laser tools. Lexie carefully melted the resin around Jack. When she had removed the resin from the side of his face, she realized there was about a half inch empty space between him and the resin. She touched his cheek and marveled that it was warm.

Jack's eyes flew open. "Who are you? Where are we?"

"Umm… The cavalry," Lexie said hopefully. "Claire's up top. We got to get you the rest of the way out and then help the others."

Jack started to glow, and the resin melted off him. He then held his hand against the resin, which glowed as he freed the other three.

Dean pulled away from Castiel awkwardly. Dean said hoarsely, "Cas."

Castiel shook his head and said, "Hello, Dean."

Tabbris called from above. "No time to talk. Angels coming." Jack disappeared and reappeared on the top next to Tabbris. His jaw dropped for a second, he saw Claire.

He stammered, "How long?"

Tabbris repeated gruffly, "No time to talk. Angels are coming."

Jack made a gesture with his hand and the others appeared on the top of the dome. Tabbris asked, "Do we run or fight?"

Dean looked around at everyone in confusion. "I vote run until I know what the hell is going on."

Reya told Tabbris, "Bunker."

Tabbris flew the group to the bunker and the library. She collapsed as they landed.

Reya gasped and knelt next to Tabbris.

Castiel knelt next to her and touched her forehead, "She'll be okay. It just expended a lot of grace to be able to fly a group this large." Castiel looked at her in wonder, "She has her wings back."

Jack just stared at Claire. He repeated, "How long?"

Claire smiled. "Forty years, brat. You're a regular Rip Van Winkle."

Sam looked around at the people. "Who is everyone?"

Claire pulled out a chair. "Old lady is going to sit down, while she goes through our superhero roster. First, the old team. Girls, the tall one is Sam Winchester. He's the brainy one. The pretty one, Dean, is the heart and muscle, and he's super grumpy in the morning if you don't give him coffee. Castiel is resident angel and bad ass. He and Dean are like my two dads. Finally, we got Jack there. He likes nougat. And is a human/angel hybrid, but awesome. Any questions on that side of the house?" She glanced at Reya and Lexie as she finished.

Lexie shook her head, while Reya remained focused on Tabbris. Claire continued, "Okay, boys. The new team. Lexie is the brainy one. She's an archaeologist science person thingie. It's still unclear to me what she really does, but she figures out science stuff. And, she's probably fired now because we just vandalized her excavation site. The unconscious one is an angel, obviously."

Castiel interrupted, "She's Tabbris. She worked for Naomi."

Dean glared at the unconscious angel.

Claire said, "Before I was rudely interrupted. The unconscious angel is Tabby. She rebelled because Heaven is an even bigger shithole than it was before. Beside her is Reya. She's a psychic prophet of God. And me, I'm just friggin' happy I got my God damn family back. I'm tired." Claire stood back up stiffly. "I need to put my knee brace on."

Castiel stopped her. "Claire, let me help." He put his hand on Claire's knee and it glowed brightly for a second.

 Claire smiled happily, "Shit, that feels great." She moved her knee around experimentally. She threw her arms around Castiel, "I love you, you big doof. I missed you so much."

 Castiel hugged her back, "Had I been aware of the time passage, I would have missed you too."

 Sam knelt next to Tabbris and Reya, "Do you want some help getting her somewhere? Do you all live in the bunker?"

 Claire said, "Yeah, I invited a few friends to live with me. Hope you guys don't mind."

 Reya smiled at Sam, "That would be cool if you can help me. I'm in Room 17." Sam picked up Tabbris and followed Reya down the hallway. Lexie looked around nervously, wondering if she should follow Reya.

 Claire looked at Lexie reassuringly and said, "They don't bite. Well, Dean does sometimes. But they'll grow on you."

 Castiel turned to Lexie, "Thank you for whatever role you played in getting us out."

 Dean sat at the table next to Claire, "Ok. Lay it on the line. What's happened while we were playing Sleeping Beauty. The rift to apocalypse world? Mom? Jody? Donna? Garth? Alex?"

 "The rift closed on its own after 20 years. Nothing more came through it. Garth is still alive up in Montana, last I heard. Alex is fine still running our group in South Dakota. Donna is still kicking ass and taking names. Jody…" Claire paused and swallowed, "Jody died last year of a heart attack. Your mom came by our house shortly after you guys went missing and I haven't seen her since. We've looked for her off and on over the years. We just figured she wanted to fall off the grid."

 Dean closed his eyes and swallowed. "We just friggin' got her back."

 Castiel asked, "What of angels and demons? Tabbris flew us here, so do angels have wings again?"

 Claire looked at them tiredly. "I don’t know if all angels do, but Tabby does. Asmodeus pretty much took over Southern California and Arizona. A group of angels formed a hokey religion to try keep them contained there. Demons and angels aren't getting along so well. Demon numbers are growing, while the angels number is dwindling. The angels are having problems keeping them contained.  The world didn't end while you were gone, so that's a plus. Lucifer?"

 "Died to save Jack and give us time. Lucifer actually went out in a blaze of glory. I never would have bet on those odds."

 Jack sighed sadly and placed the angel tablet on the library's table. "Can Reya decipher that?"

 Castiel responded, "She is indeed a prophet. I believe she would be able to."

 They were startled by a sudden yelp by Lexie. "It's true. All of it's true. Demons. Angels. Lucifer. It's all true. Oh my god. God is real too? But science…" She rushed down the hallway towards the bedrooms.

 Dean turned slowly to Claire, "I'm guessing she needs part 2 of the talk for civilians."

 Claire snorted, "She was the only normal one of us. The rest of us grew up with the weird shit. I'm so happy you guys are back." She hugged Castiel, Dean, and Jack. "I'll go give her part 2. I never touched your rooms. They are just as you left them."

 Dean said, "Crap. I left a half-eaten piece of pie on the table last night. Well, last night plus 40 years. That's got to be pretty gross by now."

 Jack said quietly, "Is it ok if I go to my room? I have a lot to think about."

 Castiel hugged Jack. "It's ok to feel sad about Lucifer. I'm sorry it ended that way. He did help save the world."

 Jack smiled. "I know."

 Dean and Castiel found themselves in the room alone. Dean suddenly felt nervous, remembering his last moment hail Mary pass to tell Castiel he loved him at least once. "So, Cas…"

 Castiel smiled softly at him. "We don't have to talk about it and chalk it up to last night on earth adrenaline. We can pretend it never happened."

 Dean snorted, "I don't want to pretend it never happened. You realized we just kissed for 40 years?"

 "Well, the saying is go big or go home," Castiel laughed quietly.

 Dean moved closer to Castiel. He pulled on the lapels of his trench coat to pull his face closer. "I'm going to say I love you right now when there isn't a horde of angels heading our way and we aren't about to get stuck in goo. I love you, Cas."

 Castiel answered and smirked slightly, "I know."

 "Dumbass," Dean pulled him into a kiss. Castiel relaxed into him.

 A throat cleared behind them. Dean growled, "Sam, so help me…"

 "Not that I want to interrupt this moment you two are having, but we do have some big problems."

 Dean muttered, "Cockblocker," as he turned around.

 "Here's the scoop I got from Reya. Anael is in charge of the angels. You know, Lucifer's gal pal. They have been hacking prophets to try to rebuild this reality's angel tablet, which didn't end well for the prophets. Reya was going to be next, but Tabbris rebelled and saved her. This means Reya and Tabbris are number one on the angels' most-wanted list. Well, at least until they find out Jack and Cas are back."

 "Tabbris rebelled? Her name has lost its irony now," Castiel muttered.

 "Huh?"

 "Well, Tabbris is the angel of free will and self-determination. But, it was in support of Naomi. As in, she helped to remove my free will and self-determination. She participated in reprogramming me at least three times. Maybe more. It gets really fuzzy when your mind gets wiped."

 Dean growled, "I'm going to kill her…"

 "No, Dean. She was just following orders. Normal angels do that," Castiel shrugged, but had a pained expression. "She obviously changed or she wouldn't have rebelled. You have to remember that in their eyes, I was and am the aberration that needed to be fixed. Her role was basically to escort people from the containment area to the reprogramming center and then click a check box when it was done."

 "But, you…"

 "Dean, you have to play nice." Castiel looked at him sternly. Dean looked grumpy but stopped talking.

 Sam muttered, "Whipped already."

 Dean glared at him.


	9. Best Laid Plans

Dean walked to the kitchen with Sam and Castiel on his heels. He walked over to the fridge and swing it open to try to grab a beer. When he couldn't find any, he growled, "Sonovabitch."

"Dean, what are we going to do?" Sam asked.

"Well, I was going to get a beer. But apparently, Claire doesn't do beer."

Claire walked into the room. "Claire does so do beer. It just doesn't have to be refrigerated anymore." She walked over to a cabinet and pulled some containers out. "When you pop the lid, the beer gets cold automatically."

Dean took a container from her and opened it. He tasted it, mistrustfully, but then grinned because it was definitely beer and not bad at that. "Awesome."

"How is Lexie?" Castiel inquired.

Claire shrugged, handing Sam and Castiel a beer. "She needs to process. I got a room ready for her. She actually didn't live here before today. She gave up everything for us. She's smart and kicks ass though. She'll be good."

"Why?" Dean raised an eyebrow. "Why'd she do that for us? I get the angel and Reya winding up here. But why her?"

"Curiosity. She believes the truth is out there." Claire took a long drag on her beer. "Mostly likely she'll regret it sooner or later. Probably sooner."

Sam said, "What should we do? I mean, there's a demon army in the southwest and the angels are doing some shady stuff upstairs."

Dean shrugged, "World survived without us forty years. I say we just stay here hunkered down with the occasional food run."

Claire frowned at her beer. "That will work until we run out of angels upstairs and then demons take over everything."

"What? So, we help the angels now?" Dean scoffs.

"No, of course not." Claire narrowed her eyes at him. "We take out the demons. People are dying out there, Dean. I can't do anything on my own. I'm outnumbered and outgunned."

"What were you doing before we got here?" Dean responded.

She looked away at the wall, "Trying to find Cas. I knew he was alive. I didn't know you the rest of you were." She turned back with her eyes full of tears. "It's been so long, guys. Too damn long. I'm so tired. I hunted, I tried. I helped where I could. But there's just so damn many of them."

Castiel put his hand on Claire's arm. "I'm sorry we abandoned you, Claire. I wish I had been here for you."

Claire gave him a watery grin. "Doof, it's not your fault you got frozen saving the world, again."

"So, like I asked before, Dean. What do we do now?" Sam looked at Dean expectantly.

"Well, what do we have to work with. You got three hunters, two angels, a prophet, a scientist, and Jack. Assuming of course, the girls want to help us. We got an angel tablet and Kevin's notes from the demon tablet. Damn losing the demon tablet to Asmo-assbut." Dean mused. "We got no idea what the world is like out there. I mean does everyone have hover cars?"

"No hover cars," Claire smiled. "But there are trains that can get you across the country in about four hours. I got to see if I can get you guys some fake IDs. Security is much tighter than it used to be."

"Guess our way of making them is out of date." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah, it's a different world out there, guys. You got me though." Claire smiled. "I'm just so happy you are back. But, if you guys excuse me though, I'm dead on my feet. I'll see you guys in the morning." She stood up and walked out.

Sam stood up too. "I'm going to hit the hay too. See how disgusting my bedroom is after forty years."

Castiel and Dean were left sitting at the table. Dean stared at Castiel and smiled. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid."

Castiel scrunched up his nose and tilted his head slightly, "I'm exponentially older than you. You're the kid."

"I'm going to go check out my room. You coming with?"

Castiel nodded and followed him. Dean paused before he opened the door. He mentally girded himself, not knowing what the toll of 40 years would have taken. As he pushed the door open, he sighed in dismay at the layer of dust on everything. He shrugged at the desiccated pie. "That's not so bad." Castiel glowed slightly and the dust disappeared. 

"Better, Dean?"

Dean smiled. "New line of business. Castiel's Maid Service."

Castiel rolled his eyes. "I'll be back in a moment. I'm going to go do the same for Sam."

Dean sat on his bed. He buried his face in his hands and sighed. He was there when Castiel returned several minutes later. "Dean?"

"Cas, it's so overwhelming. There's a whole new world out there. We won't know how to do anything."

Castiel sat on the bed next to him. "We'll be fine. We've torn up the rule book before and made it up as we went along. I have seen the passage of time since the dawn of creation. Men can adapt to many things. We'll adapt."

"What about us? You and me?"

"That can be whatever you want, Dean. I've told you before I loved you. I have since I pulled you from perdition and I always will." Castiel squeezed his hand. 

Dean walked to the closet and pulled out some sweatpants. He gave a sour look as he sniffed their mustiness. "First thing is laundry. Are you tired?"

"No. I don't require sleep," Castiel smiled.

"Well, at least stay with me while I fall asleep."

Castiel removed his trench coat, jacket, and shoes. Dean frowned at him and pulled out another pair of musty sweatpants, wrinkling his nose. "Here."

Castiel held his hand over both pairs of sweatpants, and they glowed slightly "There. Better?"

Dean sniffed them hesitantly. "Loads better. Castiel's Maid and Laundry Service."

Castiel rolled his eyes and smiled at him fondly. He changed into the sweat pants and both of them got in the bed. Dean fell asleep quickly. Castiel listened to the sounds of Dean's breathing and relaxed. When they had gathered their meager forces to face Michael, Castiel was sure they were doomed. No matter what was out there right now, he felt he had been given yet another chance to make the world right.

After Dean fell asleep, Castiel slid quietly off the bed and walked down the hallway into the library. Tabbris was sitting at a table, reading copies of the former prophets Kevin's and Donatello's notes about the demon tablet. Tabbris looked at Castiel's attire of sweat pants with no shirt and raised an eyebrow.

Castiel shrugged, "When you spend so much time with humanity, it rubs off on you." Tabbris looked down at the table, considering what to say. Castiel waited quietly, still standing. After Tabbris doesn't say anything for a minute, Castiel asked gently, "May I join you here? Are you feeling better?"

"This is your home, not mine. I'm fine," Tabbris stammered, as she looked up at him.

Castiel smiled and sat down, "It's now our home."

Tabbris gulped and said, "I'm sorry, Castiel. I'm sorry that I took part in your reprogramming. I very much regret some of the orders that I obeyed."

"You were doing what you were supposed to. I’m the one who was an aberration. I hold no ill will towards you. Please be wary around Dean though. He will not hurt you, but he's likely to be…rude. He's very protective of me and knowing that you worked for Naomi will not bring out his friendly side." Castiel looked at her reassuringly. "Do you regret rebelling?"

Tabbris shook her head, "We are supposed to protect humanity and prophets. What Anael is doing is wrong on too many levels to comprehend. I couldn't let her kill Reya. She is innocent."

Castiel sighed, "Somewhere along the way, angels lost their mission. My attempts to reaffirm the mission only led to more chaos. I'm out of the trying to fix heaven business."

"We can't just leave Anael up there, Castiel. She'll keep coming for Reya. We must do what's right."

"A long time ago I thought I knew what was right and what was wrong. In reality, there's no plan or righteous path. We just have to do our best in a world where it's too easy to do our worse. I'll help you protect Reya to the best of my ability," Castiel looked thoughtful. "Tabbris, I wish I could say things will get better after you rebel. But they won't. Other angels will not understand. It is rare for one of us to defy the entirety of the Heavenly Host. I'm here for you though. Thank you for helping Claire save us."

The corner of Tabbris mouth quirked up into a small smile, "Reya was quite insistent that we had to get the tablet to save the world. I would like to say I did it for you, but I did it for her. She is quite intense. Her soul is different."

Castiel shrugged, "I rebelled because Dean's soul was different. I could tell that from the moment I gripped him tight and raised him from perdition. He made me believe that there was a better way. Sometimes, we don't agree on the better way and argue about it, but we always find a better way. He and I have been through much together. When I met him, I told him his problem was he lacked faith. I'm the one who actually lacked faith."

"I am proud to have helped you return, Castiel."

"Please, call me Cas. I'm not Castiel any longer. That name signifies someone that I no longer am. I'm not really an angel of the Lord anymore. I'm just me." Castiel looked away.

"I don't think I'm me anymore either. Call me Tabby. It fits better."

Castiel looked back. "Okay, Tabby. Can I ask how did you get your wings back?"

"They fixed themselves over time. Our grace slowly replenished and rebuilt them. I've had mine back for about ten years. Some angels have been faster and some slower."

Castiel nodded. "Regretfully, mine did not heal themselves while we were encased in amber."

"Cas, it would be my honor to fly you wherever you need to go," Tabbris smiled shyly.

"I'm going to make one recommendation if it's not too forward. Consider wearing human clothes. Much more comfortable." Castiel stretched and stood up. "I'm going to start a pot of coffee. If Dean doesn't have coffee when he wakes up, he is angry like a bear."

\---------------

The next morning, everyone sat at the table in the library while Dean served pancakes. Tabbris and Castiel leaned against the wall watching.

Dean looked at Claire, "So, what do we do first?"

Claire gawked, "Why are you asking me? You're the save-the-world-hero guy."

Dean smiled, "You're the oldest hunter here."

Claire snorted, "Sure, rub it in."

Tabbris interjected calmly, "What is it you want to accomplish and then we'll know what to do."

Sam chewed his pancakes thoughtfully before saying, "It seems like we need to get angels and demons back to where they belong. I would also like to find my mother if she's still alive."

"Do you have anything that belongs to her? I could try to do a reading," Reya offered. Castiel pushed himself away from the wall.

"Keep eating, I'll find something," Castiel called over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

"How many demons are we talking about?" Dean said as he took another huge bite.

"I would put the number in the tens of thousands," Tabbris answered. "Anael started a religious sect in New Mexico, Nevada, Mexico, and Northern California to try to contain them. She is running low of angels, but not angel blades. She's armed the humans with the knowledge and weapons, and they are trying to keep the demons at bay. She's been able to build a devil's trap using the human's labor to keep them somewhat contained, but there's too many demons and not enough angels to hold the lines forever. She also hunted crossroad demons to try to prevent future deals."

Lexie said hopefully, "So, we need to help the angels."

"No. The angels are abusing their power to try to rebuild an angel tablet and unlock power that they shouldn't have access to. They are killing prophets. And, they are using humans as cannon fodder. I'm afraid that I knew the way Anael was using humans and did nothing to stop it," Tabbris answered, looking away. Reya stood up and leaned against the wall next to Tabbris. She captured her hand and held it.

Sam stared at Dean. "We got a war with two fronts."

"As long as it doesn't involve friggin' Lucifer or Michael, I'm good." Dean said placidly, as he took another bite.

Jack spoke up quietly. "So, we have an angel tablet. Can that help kill the demons? I tapped into its power to kill Michael's army, but that was only about twenty angels at that point. Not tens of thousands?"

Dean pursed his lips. "We need decipher it I think to see if there's a specific spell that we can use in conjunction with its raw power."

Tabbris said, "Reya can do that. I have faith in her." 

Reya smiled. "I'll do my best."

"I'll help you," Jack offered. 

Sam laughed sadly, "This is the part where I usually go get my laptop and start searching the internet to see if I can do something useful in the meantime. But I tried to start my laptop last night, and nothing. It doesn't work."

Lexie spoke up, "I can help you, Sam, figure out the new systems. I should also see if I can make you guys IDs. I…umm..might have paid part of my way through graduate school by creating IDs for underaged college students so they could drink."

Claire snorted, "I thought you were such a preppy, science girl. Good to know you have a dark past."

Lexie answered sheepishly, "Graduate school was expensive. A girl's got to do what she's got to do."

Dean shrugged, "I committed credit card fraud. I guess that's not going to work the same way."

"Nope, Dean. Don't worry, I've got you covered," Claire answered. "I saved the life of this little old lady from a vampire. She left me all her money in her will. It was the damnedest thing. First and only time I got paid for being a hunter."

Dean looked at her amazed. "That so never happened to us." He looked thoughtful and continued, "So, here's the first part of our plan. Reya, Tabby, and Jack work together on translating the tablet. Lexie will re-nerdify Sam. Claire, I need your help to figure out something."

"What?"

"How the hell do we get Baby back?" Dean smiled at her.

Castiel returned to the room with John Winchester's journal. "How about this, Dean?"

Dean looked between Castiel and Reya. "It was actually my father's, but my mother was the last person to carry it routinely. Is that good enough?"

"Should be. But, we should go someplace quieter," Reya said.

Dean, Sam, and Castiel followed Reya into one of the offices. "I don't recall prophets being able to do this kind of stuff," Dean said.

"I was a psychic before a prophet. Now, hand me the book. The three of you relax and hold hands."

Sam asked, "Should we get Jack? He was close to Mom too."

Castiel shook his head, "Nephilim power might disrupt Reya's abilities."

After everyone was seated and holding hands, Reya closed her eyes and reached out to the energy surrounding the journal. Images flooded her mind. "I see her with a red-headed woman. She looks the same age as you guys; she didn't age. There's sigils and runes around the room. Oh…" Reya trailed off and opened her eyes suddenly. "Someone saw me peeking in and essentially shut the window."

Sam's eyebrows furrowed, "Mom's with Rowena?"

Dean scrunched his eyes, "I didn't see that coming."

Castiel looked around at them, "How do we find Rowena?"


	10. Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner

That afternoon, Lexie and Sam sat at the library table, using Lexie's computer to try to find any leads on the location of Mary and Rowena. Reya sat across the table, studying the angel tablet and jotting down notes. The rest of the team stood around the other table.

"So, to come up with a plan to get the Impala, we'll need to figure out where she is," Claire said as she displayed the map of the Heavens Battle on her tablet.

"You guys were found here." She pointed to a location. "Where was Baby in relationship to that position?"

"Over here somewhere." Dean pointed to a location about 500 feet south of where they were frozen. "We didn't actually get that far away from her."

Tabbris looked dispassionately at the map, "I do not understand why want to endanger your life for a car. You can get a new car."

Dean glared at her, "Shut your mouth. Baby's not a car. She's part of the family."

Sam explained, "She belonged to our father. She's sort of a family heirloom. We were raised in that car."

Tabbris frowned at them but remained quiet.

Jack stared at the map. "If I get close enough, I can try to summon the Impala to me out of the amberstone. I could then try to move it to the garage."

Tabbris' frown deepened, but she didn't say anything.

"Our plan has one small flaw," Sam commented.

"Only one?" Dean looked at his brother quizzically. 

"Well, one immediate one. How do we get close enough for Jack to summon the car?"

Dean considered it thoughtfully. 

Tabbris responded in an annoyed voice, "I can take you." She glared at Dean with her arms crossed.

"What's your problem?" Dean growled.

Castiel murmured, "Dean." He put his hand on his arm.

Tabbris looked around, "Can I speak now?"

Dean furrowed his brow and answered, "By all means."

"This site is guarded by angels. There are probably more angels then there were before we retrieved you. And you want to put the Nephilim in their path for an object."

Castiel answered calmly, "God once called this vehicle the most important object in the entire universe. It's a human thing, Tabby. We will be more disciplined after we get the car."

Tabbris looked desperately at Claire. Claire shook her head and said, "Once a Winchester makes up his mind on something, there's no changing it."

"It's lunacy," Tabbris exclaimed.

"That's us. Just a couple of lunatics," Dean smiled. Tabbris turned and walked out of the room. Reya watched her leave with a worried expression.

That night after the sun had set, Tabbris flew Jack, Castiel, Sam, and Dean to outside the fence at the closest point to the Impala. Dean carried a gas can with some fuel from the small supply Claire had stashed away.

Jack closed his eyes and focused his energy to reach out to the Impala. He started to glow slightly. Tabbris said dryly, "It is as if he is putting up a neon sign for all the angels to see."

Jack started to shake under the exertion. Castiel said quietly, "Stop if it's too much, Jack. We'll find another way."

"Almost got it, Father." 

The Impala appeared in front of Jack. Jack collapsed with blood coming out of his nose. Sam knelt next to Jack with a worried expression.

Before the rest of them could respond, Tabbris went rigid and said tensely, "Incoming angels." The words were barely out of her mouth before four angels appeared around them. Tabbris engaged two, while Castiel faced the other two. Sam opened the back door of the Impala and eased Jack's unconscious body onto the seat. Dean poured the gas into the car and ran to the driver's seat. He turned the key and pumped the gas. He pleaded, "Come on, Baby," as the car sputtered.

Sam grimaced as he saw an angel slice Castiel's cheek. Sam pulled out his pocket knife, cut his hand, and started to draw a sigil on the fender of the Impala. Tabbris managed to down one of the angels, but Castiel was in trouble and fell backwards as he attempted to dodge an angel blade. Sam prayed silently as he pressed his hand on the sigil. All the angels disappeared in a flash of light.

When the Impala roared to life, Sam slid into the shotgun position. 

Dean growled, "Just what did you do, Sam?"

"Cas and Tabby were going to lose. I had to do something, Dean. I thought blasting them was the safest thing. I could have tried to fight one of the angels, but that usually ends bad. I probably would have been a distraction."

Dean grunted a response and then barreled the car through the night to the bunker. When they arrived, Claire opened the garage door for them. Dean pulled the Impala in and parked her before placing his forehead on the steering wheel and taking a deep breath. His shoulders shook slightly.

Sam exited the car and opened the backdoor. He felt for Jack's pulse and sighed in relief that it felt strong. "He's breathing okay, Dean. I think he's just tapped out his batteries and has to recharge."

Dean looked lost for a moment and stayed sitting in the driver's seat. When he didn't respond, Sam pulled Jack out of the car and carried him into the bunker. 

Claire approached the car and looked at Dean questioningly. "Cas and Tabby?"

Dean looked up at her and his voice shook as he said, "I don't know, Claire. Sam banished them because we got jumped by angels. I don't know where they ended up." Dean slid out of the car and headed to Jack's room. 

Sam sat next to Jack on the bed and looked concerned. Dean froze in the doorway as he watched Jack's still form. Reya walked behind him and growled, "Tabby warned you and you didn't listen to her."

Dean grimaced as he turned to her, "You're right." He felt a growing sense of doubt. He thought getting Baby back was worth a risk, but now Castiel was Chuck knows where and Jack was injured. He closed his eyes and prayed to Castiel, telling him that they would find him. "I should have gotten him a phone before we did this," Dean sighed, running his hand through his hair. 

"We just shouldn't have done this. If Tabby doesn't come back safe, you can read your own god-damned tablet," Reya turned and stalked away.

Sam murmured, "Cas will be ok. We've done this to him before."

"But we don't know the rules anymore. Cas doesn't know how to get in contact with us," Dean looked at Sam with a panicked expression.

"Cas will be okay. He's been around since the dawn of time." Sam stood up and put his hand on Dean's shoulder before exiting the room.

Dean sat on the edge of the bed and watched Jack silently.

==================

Tabbris looked around her, annoyed. She looked up at the wall of the London Tower looming nearby. She muttered to herself, "I got banished to England." She could understand Reya, but the rest of the humans were too perplexing and confusing. She still didn't understand why they had to have the car back so much that they were willing to risk their lives. She sat on a nearby park bench. 

A man walked in front of her with one hand holding the hand of a small child, while the other held the leash of a big shaggy dog. The child waved and smiled at Tabbris. Tabbris' face softened as she looked at the child. The dog stood still and looked at Tabbris questioningly. Tabbris patted it once, before the man gave an impatient tug of the leash and the dog started to follow. Tabbris sighed.

She watched the children playing in the park. Humans were both infuriating and beautiful. For a moment, she longed for the company of angels. Those she could understand. She watched a young boy fly a kite and smiled softly, as she waited for her grace to recharge.

==================

Castiel looked around. He was fairly certain he was in Mexico. It was dark, raining, and cold. He sighed and started walking towards a light in the distance. He was clueless how he was supposed to get back to Kansas. Lightning arced across the sky, and the rain came down harder.

His cheek hurt, he was drenched, and he resembled a drown rat by the time he got to the town. He paused in the overhang of a bar to get out of the rain, shuddering. The experience reminded him of when he was human.

A middle-aged woman in a red dress and her hair pulled into a loose pony tail, walked over to him with an umbrella over her head. She asked in Spanish, "Are you okay? You look like you are in trouble."

Castiel responded in Spanish, "I'm an American tourist, and I was robbed."

She smiled at him, "Let me buy you some beer and food."

"Thank you." Castiel followed her into the bar. He let her order for him, as he quietly plotted out his next move. He slowly became conscious of the woman entering his personal space and swallowed nervously. 

When the woman's hand started to caress his thigh, Castiel became agitated as he compared this experience to when April the reaper that had killed him. He stood up suddenly, "I'll be back in a moment. I must use the restroom." He walked quickly towards the men's room.

Once inside, he frowned at himself in the mirror. "Think Castiel," he muttered to himself. "Why is praying a one-way channel? I can hear Dean asking where the hell I am, and I can't answer him." Castiel punched a wall. Two days back and he already managed to misplace himself.

He paced the floor, thinking. He paused when he suddenly had an idea. He prayed quietly, "Tabbris, could you give me a hand?" He felt awkward and uncomfortable as he prayed. 

Tabbris appeared a few minutes later. "Hello, Cas. Why do you need a hand?"

Castiel jumped startled. He finally realized why Dean complained so much about personal space. Castiel said with a wry grin, "Remember how you offered to fly me anywhere I wanted? Home would be nice right about now."

Tabbris nodded her head at him. "How do you deal with humans? They are so messy."

Castiel shrugged, "Eventually, you become more like them."

Tabbris looked horrified, "I sincerely hope not."

Tabbris flew her and Castiel back to the bunker. They appeared in the middle of the library, where Reya was sitting at the table with her arms crossed, frowning. Lexie was sitting next to her, trying to speak to her and being ignored.

When Reya saw Tabbris, she jumped up and threw herself into her arms. Tabbris was much shorter but was stronger and held her easily. "You're back!"

Castiel interrupted, "Sam, Jack, and Dean?"

"Jack's unconscious, but they are here. And the damn car is in the garage," Reya growled.

Castiel frowned slightly at Reya. "I know that Sam and Dean might seem a bit odd to you. However, please remember that everyone they knew and loved except for me and Jack have aged and possibly died around them. They are getting their bearings. If it takes retrieving their father's car to help them acclimate, I'll retrieve the car. They are tough, but they've been through several lifetimes of trauma."

Reya looked at Castiel, "It just defies common sense."

Castiel sighed, "There are no words I can say to make you understand what the car means to them. I do appreciate your help and will try to make this up to you." He walked out of the library towards Jack's room. 

Lexie offered, "No one said this would be easy."

==================

Castiel could hear Sam pleading with Dean to take a break as he walked up to the door.

Castiel walked into the Jack's room and simply said, "I'm back." Sam stood next to where Dean was sitting on the bed.

When Sam saw Castiel, he pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly. "So, glad you are back. I'm so sorry that I did that to you."

"Well, apparently my fighting skills are rusty. " Castiel huffed as he put air quotes around the word rusty. "I am fine. Tabby had to retrieve me from Mexico." 

"I'm just glad you're back in one piece." Sam patted Cas on the shoulder as he left the room.

Dean stared at Castiel as he sat on the bed next to him. Castiel held out two fingers on Jack's forehead to examine him closely. He sighed tiredly, "He's fine. We asked too much of him, and he'll always try to do his best to do what we want. We need to be more careful."

Dean intertwined his fingers with Castiel's. He rubbed his thumb across the back of Castiel's hand as they stared intently at each other for a few moments. Dean finally cleared his throat and murmured, "Well, with you here, I guess I'll go talk to the others. I'm so friggin' relieved you're back."

Castiel nodded, watching Jack sleep, as Dean left the room.

==================

When Sam walked into the library, Lexie was sitting alone at the table, reading a book on Enochian myths. She looked up at him. "How's Jack?"

"He'll be fine." Sam could smell something cooking in the kitchen and realized Claire must be cooking breakfast. Sam felt bone-weary tired, as he sat next to Lexie. "Where are the others?"

"Reya went to sleep, and Tabbris went to watch over her while she slept. Sounds a bit creepy to me. Claire's making scrambled eggs and bacon. She said Dean would be in definite need of bacon."

"She's not wrong. Dean needs five things in life to be happy. Pie, Cas, his car, bacon, and booze."

Dean called out from the doorway as he entered the room, "And you and Jack, dumbass. And then there is always Claire and Mom, and our new family members." Dean sank heavily in the chair next to Lexie. "So, on a scale of one to ten how pissed are they at me?"

Lexie answered, "Well, while Tabby was gone, Reya was probably an eleven. Now, that the two of them are together about a five. But I get it."

"Oh, you do?" Dean looked at her questioningly.

"I just threw away my entire life and education because I wanted to know the truth. Others might find that crazy, but I'm strangely okay with it. Meeting you guys, and Cas, and Jack, and Tabby, and Reya is amazing. There's just so much I want to know and understand. This place is a treasure trove. Some things you just need, even if they don't make sense to someone else." She looked hopefully at Dean, "There isn't anything else you are going to risk everything for, is there?"

Dean sighed, "Just our Mom. Everything else I need is right here in the bunker."

"I think Tabby and Reya will be more understanding about risking things to rescue your mom," Lexie smiled at him encouragingly. 

"I was damn stupid," Dean said as he shook his head. "Tabby warned me, and I just went ahead and did my thing and could have lost Jack and Cas. And Tabby for that matter. I will tell her that she was right when I see her."

Tabbris entered the library frowning, "I heard you. What's done is done. Reya is asleep. We must be more careful. Angel radio is talking about how the Nephilim has returned. Eventually, I assume we will have visitors here. We should reinforce the warding." 

Sam nodded, "Maybe, Lexie and I can work on that." Lexie smiled at Sam, while he led her out of the room to show her the bunker control room.

Tabbris looked at Dean, "I am no longer angry at you. I'm just worried. My number one priority here is to keep Reya and the angel tablet safe. If I think it is no longer safe for her here, I will take her somewhere else."

Dean nodded, "Fair enough. And feel free to call me on any stupidity that I display in the future and remind me that you were right about this and I was wrong. Just tell me I'm being a dumbass."

The corner of Tabbris' mouth quirked up in a small smile, "That I can do."


	11. Witchy Woman

The following days fell into a pattern, as everyone got familiar with each other. Most mornings, Dean served breakfast. Immediately after that, Reya and Jack worked together to translate the tablet in the library. Tabbris hovered around them, close enough to protect Reya if anything unexpected happened.

Lexie and Sam worked together to search for any signs of Rowena and Mary via Lexie's personal assistant and computer. Sam started to feel more comfortable with the new holographic monitors and was adept now with sorting through information. Claire ordered Sam his own version of the device, which Tabbris helped her pick up at a store.

Castiel researched everything he could find on fighting demonic armies that the library contained. He studied terrain maps on the area around Las Vegas and Los Angeles, as he tried to figure out the best way to approach the situation. He put an old-fashioned corkboard in the corner of the library, and stuck maps and notes around it.

They each ate lunch whenever they wanted to. For dinner, Dean would cook again. Dean and Claire took kitchen duty, so the others could focus on finding out whatever information they could. As they worked together, Claire described the changes and history of the last forty years to help Dean understand what was going on outside the bunker.

On the morning of the sixth day, Dean drew his gun as he heard the bunker door clang unexpectedly. Tabbris flew to the top of the stairs with her angel blade drawn, staring at the blonde woman in the green jacket who had entered. Tabbris shoved the woman against the wall before Dean could say, "Tabby, stop. That's my mom."

Tabbris stared at the woman for a moment before backing away.

Dean ran up the staircase two steps at a time and hugged Mary. Mary hugged him back for a moment and then pulled away saying, "I just don't believe it."

Dean grinned at her happily, "Well, believe it. We're back."

They walked down the staircase. Jack flew into Mary's arms and hugged her tightly. Mary ruffled his hair fondly before turning to face Sam and Castiel. After they took their turns hugging her, she faced the rest of the room.

"You guys seems to have picked up a few members."

Dean introduced them quickly. After she greeted everyone, she asked, "Boys, can we talk?"

Dean nodded and led her to one of the offices in the hallway. Sam, Castiel, and Jack followed. Mary sat on the desk looking at her boys, "I just.. It's so much…"

"No time passed for us, Mom. It's been like three months since we saw you last."

Mary looked at Dean, "It's like the reverse of what happened before. I came back after thirty-something years and now you boys come back to me after forty."

Dean sighed, "Not to sound suspicious, Mom. But, how are you so young? You saw Claire."

Mary looked away for a moment, "I've been working with Rowena. She's actually in Lebanon waiting for me to give the all clear for her to come here."

"What, she cast some spell on you so you don't age? Wish she'd cast that on me." Dean responded.

Understanding dawned in Sam's eyes, "You've become a witch."

Mary grimaced slightly, "More like witch adjacent. Rowena and I worked on ways to get you out of the amberstone, but it was heavily guarded, and we were afraid of reopening the rift. We then worked together to do what we could to stop the demons from expanding their control. She has a very detailed understanding of Hell."

Dean looked at her unbelieving, "So what, Rowena's a good guy now?"

Mary said dryly, "It's more enlightened self-interest. I met up with her because I needed help to try to save you boys. She needed some help because Ketch was hunting her. So, I got to kill Ketch again. It's always a good day when you get to kill Ketch."

Dean nodded in agreement, "It was one of the things I enjoyed most."

She looked between Sam and Dean again and hugged them both. "This is so amazing. I never expected to see you again." She then stepped towards Jack, "And you…"

Jack hugged Mary. "I've missed you greatly. Even though for me it's only been like a few months. I'm glad I didn't know I was away for forty years."

"Can Rowena come here?" Mary asked hesitantly.

Dean muttered, "Not my first choice."

Sam interrupted, "Yes. We'll just need to keep a close eye on her."

Castiel looked at Mary thoughtfully, "How did you know we were here?"

Mary laughed. "It hit the news that someone had vandalized the amberstone. So, Rowena cast a spell to detect a Nephilim's energy. It went off a few nights ago. When she cast the spell again the Nephilim was hidden, so I figured you boys were in the bunker."

"Where is she, Mom?" Dean asked.

"At the hotel in town."

Dean looked at Castiel. "Cas, could you ask Tabbris nicely to go get her? I'm worried about too many people coming and going outside the bunker doors."

Castiel gave a quick nod and walked out. Mary called Rowena to warn her an angel was coming.

When Rowena and Tabbris arrived back at the bunker, Tabbris had a sour expression on her face. Castiel gave her an apologetic smile as he took Rowena to where Mary was waiting.

"Hello, boys," Rowena said as she entered the room. Sam smiled at Rowena, while Dean continued to glare at her. "It's been a long time." As always, Rowena was overdressed in a long green dress, her red hair flowing around her face.

Mary smiled at Rowena, and Rowena winked at her. "Did you tell them, yet, Mary?"

Dean had a sense of horror as he said, "Told me what?"

Rowena looked at him innocently. "Asmodeus' plans. What else could I mean."

Dean shifted his position uncomfortably. Castiel placed his hand on Dean's shoulder.

"I thought you should tell them," Mary said.

"I've been observing the demons carefully. Asmodeus is gathering his forces to do a final large assault against the angels and their human followers. He's very powerful, much more powerful than I thought a prince of Hell should be. Well, we found a demon, who after a wee bit of persuading, told us that Asmodeus has access to the power of an archangel. Now, I don't know which of the four archangels it could possibly be, but it would explain a lot. Could Lucifer have survived like you boys did?"

Jack shook his head, "I watched him die. I felt him die."

"He's such a cute little lad, isn't he, boys? Anyway, the timing you boys coming back is serendipitous, because we have a problem."

Castiel looked confused. "I killed Raphael. I know he's dead. It could be our Michael if he found a way out of the cage. Lucifer and Michael alternate world are dead. Gabriel is…" Castiel's eyes narrowed. He looked at Sam and Dean, "When Metatron captured me, he tried to trick me and had Gabriel come to me for help. After I realized what I was seeing was not real I asked Gabriel if he was real, but he just disappeared. But… Maybe, Gabriel tried to send me a message. He has strange ways of communicating."

"What if Lucifer had just captured him and did not kill him?" Dean stared at Castiel.

Sam mused, "The archangel has to be either Gabriel or Michael."

"When I went to hell to retrieve Sam, Michael was a broken husk of an angel. He wouldn't have energy to siphon really. Lucifer was not kind to him." Castiel frowned slightly.

"But if Gabriel was alive, why didn't Chuck get him from Hell when we were fighting Amara?" Sam looked at Castiel quizzically. 

"God works in mys…"

Dean growled, "If you say mysterious ways, Cas, I swear I'm going to punch you." Dean hit Castiel's shoulder playfully.

Castiel glared at him, while Rowena snorted, "You boys. Have you gotten to fifth base, yet?"

Dean turned red, while Castiel looked at her blankly. He tilted his head slightly and said, "If this is a baseball reference, there are only four bases?

"You poor things. You still haven't gotten a clue," Rowena purred.

Jack looked at Sam. "Am I missing something?"

"Yeah, a mental image that I'm having to endure and am trying to erase," Sam said with a grimace.

Mary cleared her throat, "Rowena, they are my boys."

"Yes, of course, dear. Anyway, if we can find a spell to summon the archangel, we might be able to cut off a significant source of Asmodeus power." Rowena smiled.

Dean frowned, "Gabriel I kind of think we could trust, but if we get Michael…"

Castiel shrugged, "Jack could smite him…again. This is perplexing. I will talk to Reya and see if she has seen anything on the angel tablet in the part she's deciphered." Castiel strode out of the room with Jack on his heels.

Rowena smiled, "Who's up for a wee bit of tea?"

=========

Castiel went to the library table where Reya was working and sat down quietly next to her. She paused and looked at him expectantly.

"I know you have only scratched the surface, but have you found anything on archangels yet?" Castiel asked gingerly.

Reya tapped her pencil against the table as she responded, "I think so. It's hard to read, but there was a section on archangels. I just skimmed over that and was going to come back to later, because they aren't our primary concern."

Castiel squinted and looked away, "They just became our number one concern."

Tabbris looked at him confused, "What? They are all gone."

Castiel met her eyes. "I thought the only one left was Michael in the cage, but Asmodeus might have Gabriel. He's drawing upon the power of an archangel."

"I never met Gabriel. He stayed as far away from where I worked as possible. But I thought he was killed by Lucifer." 

Castiel looked between Tabbris and Reya, "I thought that too. But, perhaps, we were tricked again."

Reya responded, "I'll go look at that section. Is there anything in particular I should look for?"

"Summoning one. Thank you." Castiel got up and started to walk away. Tabbris followed him.

When they were in the hallway, she put a hand on his arm. "Why summon him?"

Castiel turned to face her. "If Gabriel's been in Asmodeus custody for forty or fifty years, I do not know what will be left of him. He's our brother and deserves to be saved. He certainly doesn't deserve to be a battery for Asmodeus. Gabriel was instrumental in averting the first apocalypse."

"How could a Prince of Hell beat an archangel?"

"If it is indeed Gabriel that he has, my assumption would be that Lucifer is the one that captured him and weakened him. However, then Lucifer and God mislead us. I don't really find that surprising though. It might be blasphemous to you, but God can be a dick sometimes."

Tabbris gasped and looked at Castiel surprised.

"Tabby, I have done horrible things and caused great catastrophes, because he wouldn't answer when I seek guidance -- a sign that I was on the right path. I tried to do what I thought he wanted, and I failed again and again. He abandoned us to the whims of Michael and Raphael."

"You did what had to be done. I have always thought that," Tabbris stared at Castiel.

"I've tried. Not successfully most of the time, but I tried." 

=============

Dean helped Mary and Rowena settle in thankfully different rooms. He genuinely liked Rowena but trusted her about as far as he trusted Crowley. He figured she would always screw them over in the end. He sought out Claire to see how she was dealing with this unexpected change. He found her shooting her gun in the firing range with a look of fury on her face. Dean's brow furrowed, as he touched Claire on the shoulder.

"What's the matter, Claire?"

Claire looked at him angrily, "Jody felt guilty for thirty-nine years because practically her last words to you were she'd find your mom. She died feeling guilty because she couldn't make sure your mom was ok. And the whole time she was palling around with some witch?"

Dean pulled the gun from her hand and placed it on the counter. He pulled her towards him for a tight hug. "Mom never is the best at realizing what other people's feelings are. She probably thought she was doing Jody a favor by staying away. I'm sorry. I know that doesn't help Jody, and it's no help to you. However, I'm really sorry."

"It's fine, Dean. That's why I came here. I figured I could take out my anger on a target dummy instead of your mom. I learned my anger management issues from you."

Dean ruffled her hair fondly. "You know Cas feels bad that you never got to have a normal life. He'll always feel extremely guilty about taking your father away."

Claire shrugged, "My dad helped Cas save the world. You told me that. Enough of this chick-flick moment, Dean. Let's have a shoot off."

The two of them took turns shooting the targets until the tension drained from Claire's shoulders.

============

Sam knocked softly on Lexie's door. She called out, "Come in."

When Sam opened the door, Lexie was sitting on the bed, reading a book about angels. She smiled at him, "Nothing really is a cool as holding an actual book. This book is at least two hundred years ago. I have to sit and think about everyone who has read it before."

"May I sit down?" Sam asked indicating a chair.

"It's your bunker," Lexie grinned.

"It's your home too as long as you want it to be, Lexie. We owe you a lot."

"So, your Mom is back?"

"I guess we don't have to look for her anymore," Sam grinned softly. "I'm so happy she's back, and she's doing really well."

"Who is Rowena?" 

Sam sighed, "She's a powerful witch. I think we can trust her, but I always keep one eye on her. She and I shared an experience together that makes me more trusting of her than Dean. But, one should always be cautious when dealing with her."

"I feel like I've fallen into a whole new world," Lexie looked at Sam intently, "There's just so much out there that I never knew. Witches, angels, demons… Are unicorns real?"

Sam scrunched his nose, "Maybe? There's some lore about them, but I've never seen one. Not all lore is reliable."

"How about fairies?"

Sam laughed, "Fairies are real. Oz is real too. It even has flying monkeys."

"Wow," Lexie leaned back against the headboard. "This is too much. What's the weirdest thing you ever fought?"

Sam considered for a minute, "We didn't fight him but there was a suicidal teddy bear once. Oh, and then there was this shapeshifter who like to play villains from old Hollywood horror movies. The worst was an evil clown. It was actually a rakshasa that pretended to be a clown." Sam shuddered.

"Yikes, clowns are the worse. My mother got one to come for my fifth birthday party and I spent the entire party hiding under my bed."

Sam grinned, "I get where you are coming form. Dean incessantly has teased me about my fear of clowns."

Lexie sat up on the edge of the bed. "I really can't imagine you afraid of anything. You are like the stuff legends are made of."

"I'm no hero, Lexie. I'm just a guy who has a really rotten job."

She leaned over and pulled one of his hands into hers, "You seem pretty damn heroic to me."

Sam paused for a moment and then reached over and kissed her gently before pulling back. "I'm glad you are here, Lexie."

"I'm glad I’m here with you. It's a crazy world, but I've not a single regret about coming here."

Sam smiled, "I'm glad."

====================

Dean entered his room and was surprised that Castiel was sitting on his bed. "What's the matter, Cas?"

Castiel looked at Dean, "The bunker has become uncomfortably crowded."

Dean sat on the bed next to him. "Talk to me."

"It's not anyone person. Except maybe for Rowena. I'm just not used to being around an angel like Tabby any longer. Except for Lucifer, I've not been around an angel in years. I think I subconsciously keep waiting for her to stab me in the back," Castiel smiled sadly. "That's a great way to be around your brothers and sisters."

"With only one or two exceptions, every angel I've ever met has been a dick. I like Tabby though. I think she's sincere. She reminds me of you right after your rebelled."

Castiel looked away and stared at the wall. Dean put an arm around him. "Cas, talk to me."

"If it is Gabriel that Asmodeus has, then he's been tortured for fifty years, Dean. Why didn't I check on him?" Castiel sighed.

"Dude, it's not on you. You weren't even there when Lucifer and Gabriel had their showdown. He gave us a DVD that only worked in case he died to tell us about the rings. You had no reason to think he was alive. Hell, Rowena could even be wrong. Don't beat yourself up over this."

Castiel tilted his head at Dean, "He knew I cared for you."

"Well, we never were subtle. Balthazar, Lucifer, Meg, Uriel, Crowley, they all mentioned it. We're just the two dumbasses who didn't realize it until it was too late."

Castiel laughed softly, "You were the dumbass. To be any more obvious, I would have tattooed your name on my forehead."

Dean rested his head on Castiel's shoulder. "I told you I needed you, Cas."

"I needed you too."


	12. Reading is Still Fundamental

Reya stared at the tablet intently and furiously scribbled notes on the paper. She felt like she was on the verge of making a breakthrough. She brushed Tabbris away when she tried to bring her a sandwich. She ignored Jack's attempts to ask her questions. Finally, Tabbris forcibly took the tablet away from her and pulled Reya to her feet. "You must eat."

Reya sighed in resignation as she let Tabbris lead her to the kitchen. Right as she entered the kitchen, her hands flew to her head and she doubled over as she had a vision. She was shaking, while Tabbris held her upright. Castiel hurried towards her and asked, "Tabby, should I help her?"

"She's having a vision. They always seem to be painful to her. However, she doesn't like to be disturbed while they happen." Reya's shaking subsided as Tabbris stroked her back. 

Reya looked at Tabbris. "I saw the archangel. It is Gabriel and he looks horrible. His mouth is sewn shut and he's been tortured. He looks so hopeless. I could feel his pain." Reya shuddered, and Tabbris pulled her close.

Castiel stood there in stunned silence until he heard a glass breaking behind him. He pulled out his angel blade and turned around just to see Jack standing there. Jack whispered, "When Reya had her vision, I saw it too. We must do something, Father. We need to go to him."

"No, Jack. We need to find the way to summon him here. We don't know how he is guarded." Castiel put his angel blade away. "We have to have a plan."

Jack ignored Castiel and looked at Reya, "Do you know where he is?"

Reya shook her head, "I only know he's in a dungeon somewhere. I don't think he's in Hell though." She tried to break away from Tabbris, "I want to go work on the tablet some more."

Tabbris looked at her sternly, "You must eat first." Reya looked longingly at the library.

Jack said, "I'll go read your notes to see if I see anything, while you eat."

Reya sighed, resigned, as she let Tabbris take her to the kitchen. Jack settled back at the table. 

Castiel walked down the hallway to the weapons room where Sam, Dean, Mary, and Claire were cleaning weapons that didn't really need cleaning. They were chatting casually with each other, catching up as they cleaned the weapons. Castiel looked at the four of them, "The archangel is Gabriel. Reya had a vision."

Sam nodded, "Well, that's good news. I feel a lot better about summoning him than Michael."

Castiel closed his eyes, "He's hurt. We have to save my brother."

Dean stood up, crossed the room, and enveloped Castiel in a hug. "We'll find him. We don't give up on family."

Castiel sighed, "Sam can barely stand him after everything he put him through."

Sam shook his head, "No, I get it. He was trying to toe the family line. He came through in the end. We couldn't have stopped the apocalypse without him."

Mary stood up. "I know you are looking for a spell on the angel tablet, but I'll see if Rowena has any ideas."

Castiel murmured, "Thank you," as Mary left the room.

When Mary knocked on the Rowena's bedroom door, Rowena called out, "Come in."

Mary opened the door and was surprised to see Lexie and Rowena sitting at a table together. Rowena had a magic book in front of her, angled so both Rowena and Lexie could read the page. Mary looked quizzically at Rowena before saying, "We know the angel is Gabriel. He's injured. Do you have anything that can help the boys retrieve him?"

Rowena said gently, "You know if I could, I would already be doing so."

Lexie excused herself and left the room.

Mary narrowed her eyes at Rowena, "What are you doing with Lexie?"

Rowena shrugged, "She came and asked questions. All I did was answer them."

"My boys are accepting you for now. You know that if you do anything to make them not trust you further, you'll be out of here in a snap. And, you and I both know how close the demons were coming to us. This was our last refuge."

Rowena answered, "You worry too much, my dear. I have no nefarious plans for the lass. She just has an insatiable curiosity. It reminds me of me in my misspent youth. " Rowena stood up and kissed Mary gently on the cheek. "I'll see if there's anything I can do to help them with the angel tablet. Perhaps, if that angel will allow it, I'll cast an endurance spell on her, so she can work longer in one sitting."

"Be careful, Rowena. We've come too far to fail now."

Rowena nodded as she left the room.

===================

When Rowena offered to cast a spell on Reya, Tabbris glared at her until Rowena retreated to her room.

Although she was tired, Reya stared at the tablet trying to make sense of the hieroglyphs. She looked at Jack, "It's so close. I can almost see it, but it's still not quite right."

Jack smiled at her softly, "You can do it. You're the prophet." He touched her on the hand. Reya glowed softly for a minute. Tabbris watched tensely.

She stared at the tablet and whispered, "To summon an archangel, you need the feather of an archangel, the grain of Shihor, a stone from the Bubastite Portal, and the light of Aldebaran."

Tabbris asked, "That's the spell?"

Reya looked in awe at Tabbris, "That's the spell. I have no idea what that means, but that's the spell." Reya leaned back and laughed. "I did it, Tabby."

Jack yelled, "Sonovabitch."

Dean came running from down the hallway with Castiel and Sam on his heels, "What?"

Jack said excitedly, "She figured out the spell to summon Gabriel."

Castiel squinted and tilted his head, "What are the ingredients?"

Reya answered, "The feather of an archangel."

Castiel frowned, "We have no source for that."

Jack looked at him, "Yes, we do. Lucifer gave me four feathers while we were training. He said that someday I might need them for powerful magic."

Reya said, "The second ingredient is a grain of Shihor."

Tabbris said, "That would most likely be an ancient urn of grain from the Nile river. I believe I know where we can get that."

Dean said, "Awesome. What's after that."

Reya looked at him. "A stone from the Bubastite Portal."

Sam supplied, "That's part of the Amun-Re temple in Karnak."

Dean looked at him, "Just how nerdy are you, man?"

Sam glared at him, "Nerdy enough."

Reya cleared her throat, "The last item is the light of Aldebaran."

Castiel said, "I would assume that would mean we would have to cast the spell under the light of the star Aldebaran. That is part of the Taurus constellation." Castiel looked at Tabbris. "Will you fly me to Egypt to collect the things we need there."

Tabbris nodded. "Reya should rest now though." She looked pointedly between Dean and Sam, "You must protect her and ensure that she takes care of herself."

"Of course," Sam supplied.

Reya snorted, "Standing right here and I can hear you. I can decide for myself when to go to sleep and eat." At that moment, she let out a huge yawn. Tabbris frowned at her. Tabbris then turned to face Castiel, put a hand on his sleeve and disappeared.

After the angels left, Reya went to her room. Jack left a moment later to take a break in his room. Dean and Sam looked at each other. Sam asked, "Do you think it will really be this easy?"

"We're due for a break, man. We tried forever to do something about Michael and that sucked. It would be nice if something would just work for once."

Sam looked around, "I wonder where Lexie is?"

Dean huffed, "I thought you two were joined at the hip. You got a thing for our science girl?"

Sam shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Um, maybe?"

"Well, she's pretty much stuck with us. I hope it goes well for you, Sam. You deserve a break. She's smart and nerdy like you. Maybe, you two can make smart, nerdy kids."

Sam snorted, "I'm just getting to know her, Dean."

"Just saying. If you see something good, go for it. It took Michael invading the world before I nutted up enough to tell Cas how I felt. Not that it's gotten us that far yet, but hey it's a start. Hmmm, do you think there's a thing between Tabby and Reya?"

"I think they have a profound bond," Sam snickered.

"Dude. Wouldn't it be cool to tap that? Threesome." Dean waggled his eyebrows at Sam.

"Oh my God, Dean, you're insufferable. Cas would turn you inside out if he heard you. If you are going to tell him that, let me leave this hemisphere."

Lexie walked out with her nose buried in a book on magic. She looked up at the Winchesters, "Where's everyone? Did I miss anything?"

"No, but Sam missed you," Dean quipped.

Sam elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Reya figured out the spell to summon Gabriel. Tabby and Cas are off getting ingredients."

Lexie looked between them. "Wow. Are archangels just like regular angels but just…I don't know…more angelly?"

"Gabe is mostly cool. The rest of them are douches," Dean said. "I'm going to go tell Rowena and Mom. You two, get nerdy together." Dean wandered down the hall towards the bedrooms.

Sam looked at the book that Lexie was reading. "Magic? Are you interested in witchcraft?"

Lexie looked self-conscious, "I spent my whole life focused on science. All of that has been blown away. Science doesn't have all the answers. So, I figured I need to look at alternative angles to understand the complete truth."

Sam looked concerned, "Remember that real magic is dangerous. Don't go casting any spells without backup."

"Rowena, has been…"

"What?" Sam gasped.

"She's been answering my questions," Lexie stared at Sam.

"Not all of Rowena's magic is good. Some of it comes from a bad place, so please be careful. Dean, Cas, and I cast magic spells, but none of us went down the focused witchy route."

Lexie nodded. "I understand. No dark magics for me. Only light fluffy ones. Although, I really am not freaked out about it as I was at first. What Tabby said about it just being different ways to manipulate wavelengths makes sense."

Sam said, "I think I have just the book for you," as he led her to one of the bookcases.

===============

Tabbris and Castiel retrieved the stone from the portal without any difficulty. Finding an urn that contained grain from Shihor proved to be harder. They finally broke into the British Museum to look within its Egyptian display. As they crept through the museum, Castiel whispered, "What's it like in Heaven now?"

Tabbris considered it for a minute, "Orderly. It's like it was under Naomi, only Naomi for all her faults, put Heaven first. Anael seems to be primarily concerned with being in charge. As soon as Lucifer left, she picked up the reins. Angels like to be led. Her activities are suspect, and I believe primarily to increase her own hold and power."

Castiel paused to look around a corner and saw the doorway they were looking for. The hallway was empty. As they headed to the doorway, he whispered, "Did you like her?"

"After the chaos of the previous decade, it was nice to have someone who seemed somewhat stable. However, things…orders bothered me. When I found out she was killing prophets, I knew I had to protect Reya."

Castiel paused in the doorway and extended his hand concentrating. He walked over to a series of shelves and pulled out a drawer with a carefully wrapped urn fragment in it. "This one has some traces of grain. Hopefully, it will be enough." He wrapped it carefully and put it in the pocket of his trench coat. 

Tabbris nodded. She placed her hand on Castiel's arm and flew him to a wooded clearing. He looked at her warily. "Why did you not fly us to the bunker?" He felt the urge to draw his angel blade but paused.

"I just wanted a moment to discuss things with you. Privacy at the bunker is not ideal."

Castiel relaxed slightly. "What do you want to know?"

"You and Dean? I am trying to understand your relationship."

Castiel sighed, "It's complicated. I was drawn to him from the moment I raised him from perdition. The longer I stayed on Earth, the more intertwined we became. I believe rebuilding him from Hell created a profound bond. I love him. I didn't realize that is what it was at first. I love Sam and Mary in a different way, and then Jack and Claire in yet another way. Emotions are confusing and tend to cause you to make somewhat bad decisions to protect the ones you love. Your heart overrules your brain."

Tabbris smiled, "You had that problem long before you met Dean. Samandriel always said too much heart was your problem. Naomi had to rebuild you so many times because you defied Heaven to protect humanity that Ishim and some of the others started calling you the spanner in the works. I wouldn't have admitted it then, but I admired you. I had many orders that I felt trepidation about, yet I still obeyed. You tore up the rule book and threw away the pages."

Castiel looked off in the distance and squinted, "I was an absolute failure as an angel. As Naomi put it, I came off the assembly line with a crack in my chassis. I don't remember rebelling before I did so with Dean. I think he became my anchor, so I knew when Naomi was reprogramming me. Before that, I didn't have anything to reconnect me." Castiel turned to face her again. "Why do you ask, Tabby?"

Tabbris shifted uncomfortably. "I have feelings I think. It's uncomfortable and I fear it will make me distracted from my mission."

"You care for Reya?" Castiel put a reassuring hand on Tabbris' shoulder.

"Yes. She makes me uncomfortable in a comfortable way if that makes sense."

Castiel nodded. "I have found that my human family in the end made me stronger and kinder than I was before. While many of the angels I have encountered think the Winchesters made me weak, I know they gave given me the strength to keep going when I otherwise might have faltered. I regret many things, but I do not regret falling for Dean."

"What should I do?" Tabbris looked at him intently.

"I think you know the answer already. You just want me to confirm what you already know," Castiel smiled gently.

Tabbris nodded. As she prepared to fly them back to the bunker, Castiel put his hand on top of hers. "You are in control of your own destiny. You have choices. You have free will. Do what you think is right and everything else will work its self out."

She smiled as she flew them back to the bunker.

================

The team stood around the library table examining the ingredients.

Dean looked around, "Ok, if we need to do this under the light of the Alderaan star, we need to be outside.”

Sam closed his eyes and shook his head, "It's Aldebaran. Alderaan is the name of Leia's planet in Star Wars."

Dean continued, "Nerd. Where should we do it? I think outside the bunker is a bad place."

Tabbris nodded, "Angels are probably still gathered in this area."

Castiel said, "I think the best place would be in the mountains. You'll get more direct light from Aldebaran there."

Dean looked around at everyone. "Not all of us need to go. Tabby doesn't need to try to move the lot of us."

Reya asked, "Who's going to cast the spell?"

"Cas will handle that," Dean replied. "I propose Cas, Tabby, Sam, and I go do it."

Jack looked at him stubbornly, "I want to go. I want to protect you if something goes wrong."

Dean sighed, "And Jack."

Reya looked displeased but didn't say anything. Lexie nodded, while Mary and Claire stood quietly.

Rowena stared at them, "Are you sure you don't want a witch to do it?"

Castiel said, "Enochian magic. It is likely to cause you to catch on fire."

Rowena nodded. "I don't wanna be having that."

Jack held Tabbris' hand. "I can help you with the grace necessary to move us." Castiel picked up the ingredients. He looked at Dean questioningly.

"I think we are ready then," Dean responded. "Let's go get Gabriel back."


	13. Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground

Tabbris flew the others to a plateau on a mountain in Colorado near a placid lake. A layer of snow dusted the ground. Dean, Sam, and Jack felt the chill in the air.

Castiel placed a silver bowl on the ground and knelt next to it. As he unfolded the leather wrapping around the ingredients, he paused before touching Lucifer's feather. He glanced over at Jack. "Jack, in his own way, I think Lucifer loved you as much as he was capable of."

Jack nodded, "I know. He just… He was…"

Dean put his arm around Jack, "He was something else. But, I'm glad we got you from all the trouble he gave us." Dean smiled at Jack warmly.

Castiel placed the ingredients in the bowl. He pulled out the words for the spell that Reya had translated and murmured in Enochian, "Ged Un Pa Don Gon Graph Ur."

The wind picked up around them and lightning streaked through the sky. Rain started to come down in sheets. Castiel's trench coat was flapping in the wind as he stood up facing the West. He screamed into the storm, "Gabriel, I invoke, conjure, and command you." 

As the lightning seem to coalesce around Castiel, Tabbris moved the rest of them back a safe distance.

Castiel yelled into the wind, his fists clenched, "Gabriel, I invoke, conjure, and command you."

A flash of lightning hit right where Castiel was standing. Dean, Sam, and Jack were blinded for a moment and when the light faded, Gabriel was prone at Castiel's feet. Castiel knelt next to him and gently turned him over, "Hello, Brother." He was not prepared for how beaten and tortured Gabriel looked. His lips were sewed together to prevent him from speaking. Gabriel's eyes flickered opened and looked startled as he met Castiel's eyes. The rain was still pouring down, as Castiel pulled a knife from his pocket and cut his hand. Using his blood, he drew a sigil on Gabriel's forehead. Castiel picked him up and carried him bridal style. 

"Tabbris, can you take us back to the bunker," Castiel yelled so everyone could hear him over the wind. The others moved next to Castiel. Tabbris reached out her hand and flew them to the garage. Castiel strode through the hallways to a guest room, where he placed Gabriel gently on the bed. The others followed him in. Claire hovered at the doorway.

Castiel growled over his shoulder, "Sam get me medical scissors. Someone, update the wards to allow Gabriel. He was able to come in now because of the sigil I put on him, but it will only last a few minutes."

Claire headed to fix the wards. Sam disappeared and reappeared a few seconds later with the scissors. Castiel slowly started cutting the wires that held Gabriel's mouth shut. As soon as he cut the last one, Castiel placed his hand on Gabriel's forehead and Gabriel glowed slightly. Castiel staggered and dropped to his knees. Dean moved to Castiel and put his arm around him to help him to the chair.

Tabbris stepped forward and touched Gabriel's arm. He glowed again until Tabbris stepped back.

Gabriel looked tired, but his eyes no longer seemed lifeless. Gabriel said in a hoarse voice, "Guys, did you miss me?"

Sam walked out and brought a glass of water to Gabriel, holding him up as he brought the water to his lips. Gabriel drank some of the water and signaled to Sam he had enough. He said quietly, "Ok, Sasquatch, who do I have to kill to get a candy bar around here?"

Jack looked at him earnestly, "You do not have to kill anyone. I have some in my room." Jack turned to sprint down the hallway.

Gabriel blinked, "Who's the kid? He's got some serious mojo behind him."

Castiel groaned slightly, "It's a long story, Gabriel. You might not like all of it."

Jack came back with a handful of candy bars. "These are my favorites. They have nougat."

"A kid after my own heart." Gabriel took the candy bars from Jack. "So, guys, you finally figured out I was alive. Thanks for that."

"You sent us the porno…" Dean began. Tabbris' head jerked up to stare at Dean.

Gabriel responded, "Well, there is that." He took a bite out of the candy bar. "So, Cassie is looking good. You boys look older. I don't think I've met the angel or mojo kid."

Tabbris looked at Gabriel, "I'm Tabby…Tabbris."

"One of Naomi's assistants? I never liked her," Gabriel wheezed a little bit. Castiel looked at him concerned and stood up to try to place his hand on Gabriel's forehead again. Gabriel slapped his hand away. "Stop it, Cassie. You already almost killed yourself for me already."

Sam looked at Gabriel, "What happened?"

Gabriel looked disgruntled, "Lucifer is what happened. Big brother managed to catch my grace before I completely wound up in Never, Never Land. Remade me my vessel and stuck me in a cage so deep in hell that no one knew I was there for the longest time. Finally, Asmodeus, damned prince of Hell, figured out where I was and siphoned off my grace. When I was weak enough, he moved me to a more accessible location, so he could continue to use me as an all you can eat buffet when he needed more mojo. Nothing sucks quite as much as being a battery for a guy who should do fried chicken commercials."

Dean nodded, "He looks like evil Colonel Sanders. Am I wrong?"

"You ain't wrong, Dean. So, where are we? This place feels odd. And the kid?" Gabriel stared at Jack.

Jack looked at Gabriel with a serious face, "We're in an old Men of Letters bunker. I'm a Nephilim. Lucifer made me, but Castiel is my Father."

Gabriel's jaw dropped, "What the H - E - double-hockey-stick, have you been doing here, Cassie?"

"I told you that you might not like it. Jack is good. Lucifer is dead. I guess it wasn't that long of a story after all," Castiel said quietly.

Gabriel looked at Jack. "You like nougat?" After Jack nodded, Gabriel said, "I guess you aren't all bad."

"So, your grace?" Castiel asked.

"It's low, but it will regenerate. I bet you have one southern fried asshole mad at you right now." Gabriel gave a dry laugh that sounded like a bark. "So, what do we do now?"

Castiel replied, "Take a nap." He tried to stand up and sagged again.

Dean caught him and looked at Sam. "Sam, you take care of Gabe, ok? I'm going to go put Cas to bed."

Sam sat in the chair next to Gabriel's bed. 

Tabbris walked towards the door, murmuring, "I'm going to go check on Reya."

Gabriel looked at Jack, "Tell me about yourself, kiddo."

Jack tilted his head, "My name is Jack Kline. Castiel is my father, although Lucifer created me. I live with Sam, Dean, and Castiel. We saved the world. You are my uncle."

"Yeah, Lucifer's little bro. You have no interest in destroying the world?" Gabriel stared at him. 

"I just saved it, why would I want to destroy it?" Jack tilted his head quizzically at Gabriel. 

"You got me there, kid." Gabriel winked at him. He suddenly started wheezing again.

Sam held the glass of water for Gabriel to drink again. Sam looked at Jack, "Jack, Gabriel needs to rest."

Jack nodded. "Sleep well, Gabriel." Jack walked out, closing the door behind him.

Gabriel looked at Sam, "Seems like nice enough kid. I'll give him a chance. So, Dean and Cassie got their heads out of their asses and noticed each other, huh?"

Sam smiled at Gabriel. "Yes, but it's a recent thing." Sam paused and looked at Gabriel seriously, "You do know that if we'd known you were captured, we would have helped you?"

"Oh, sure. I was willing to take one for the team to stop the fighting." Gabriel stared at the wall.

Sam asked concerned, "Are you okay, Gabriel? You were in Hell for a long time."

Gabriel's eyes flashed for a moment as he answered, "Oh, the demons are going to pay, Sammo. I might be the nice one, but I'm still my Father's son. We're talking biblical payback. I'm all about just deserts."

Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Directed at the demons, though right? Minimal collateral damage."

"Oh, sure, Sammy." Gabriel smiled at him and patted his knee. "You know me. I actually like humanity. They invented chocolate."

==========================

Dean helped Castiel sit on his bed. Castiel didn't question why they went to Dean's room instead of his own. Dean removed Castiel's trench coat, suit jacket, and shoes. Castiel just leaned into him. Dean folded the clothes carefully and put them on a chair. Finally, he tugged off Castiel's tie and dropped it on the bedside table. He pushed Castiel gently back onto the bed, before kicking off his own boots and crawling into the bed next to Castiel.

Castiel closed his eyes. They opened in surprise a moment later when Dean entered his personal space and put his head on Castiel's shoulder. 

Dean murmured, "You ok, Cas?"

"Just tired because I used so much grace on Gabriel. I should have looked for…"

"I refuse to lie here and let you take the blame for what happened to him. You had no way of knowing. End of sentence. Period." 

Castiel sighed softly. "I know what you say is logically true…"

"It's just plain true," Dean replied. "Look, Cas, there's enough that you and I should feel guilty about without you adding stuff that you don't need to to the heap. We both have always done just the best we could at the time."

"The way he must have been tortured..."

"Yeah, I know that up close and personal like. But he'll get through this. We'll figure out the demon thing."

"And then what?" Castiel asked. "When we destroy the demon army and send the angels back to Heaven, what do we do next?"

Dean paused. He answered hesitantly, almost shyly, "I have this dream, Cas. You and me with a cabin somewhere up high in the mountains, where we can fish off a dock. Where we don't have to be responsible for the entire fate of humanity."

"And Jack and Sam?"

"I want Sam to have the apple pie life. Settle down with the girl of his dreams, maybe go back to school, maybe just live in a cabin across the lake. And Jack, well he's a package deal with you. He's ours."

Castiel put an arm around Dean and pulled him closer. "I like this dream."

"You don't want to go try to fix Heaven?" Dean looked at him carefully.

"I'm not a good angel, Dean. I'm giving up trying to be. I'm just Cas. Castiel left the building a long time ago. My only concern is to keep my family safe."

Dean leaned over and brushed Castiel's lips slightly, before turning off the light. "Our family is growing."

Castiel said, "Uh-huh." Before Dean could settle back down all the way, Castiel started snoring softly. Dean smiled. He lived for classic rock but hearing Castiel's heartbeat and quiet breathing would always be the best music for his soul.

==========================

The still of the night in the bunker was shattered by the sound of woman's scream. Dean grabbed the gun he kept under his pillow and staggered into the hallway. Castiel looked around confused before standing up and grabbing his angel blade.

Dean realized the screaming was coming from Reya's room. He charged and slid to a stop as he entered the room. Tabbris was holding Reya gently, while Reya was screaming in her sleep. Tabbris rocked her slowly back and forth whispering comforting words, but not waking her up.

Sam joined Castiel and Dean in the doorway, followed a few seconds later by Mary and Claire.

Dean said softly, "Shouldn't you try to wake her up?"

Tabbris answered in a whisper, "She doesn't want me to wake her up when she has a vision." Reya opened her eyes, shuddering.

She winced and held her head as she started to describe her dream, "Tabby, Sam, Gabriel, Rowena, and Mary were standing on a battlefield. There was a legion of demons with black eyes and dark smoke around them. Rowena started to cast a spell, and Gabriel and Tabby were fighting them with grace. Sam started glowing black and the demons cowered in fear for a moment. Then a demon on a black stallion with red glowing eyes charged, threw a spear, and impaled Sam."

Dean looked at Sam, his faced etched with worry. "Well, that won't happen because I won't be separated from Sam."

Castiel said quietly, "Dean, we will need to attack Las Vegas and Los Angeles at the same time or the demons will just reinforce each other. We need to find a way to kill the demons in some mass attack, so we can close the gates to hell. We will need to separate into two forces."

"Well, then me and Sam will be in the same one," Dean looked at everyone belligerently. He seemed at the edge of an anxiety attack.

Castiel rubbed his back reassuringly, "We don’t even have the spell to kill the demons yet. Gabriel is still graceless. We still have time to come up with a good plan."

Reya said quietly, "I think I found the spell to close the gates of Hell. It's in a footnote really. There's a spell to close the gates of Heaven, but the footnote said the same could be done to Hell. You need the blood of a hellhound, the blood of an innocent saved from hell, and the blood of a cured demon."

Dean shook his head, "We've gone down this rabbit hole before, and Sam almost died."

"The spell has to be cast by an angel," Reya responded.

Dean went still. "All that shit that Sam went through could have been avoided if Cas had been the one to cast the spell?" He looked at Castiel accusingly.

Castiel looked at him defensively, "I wasn't even around most of that time. Kevin translated the tablet, not me." Castiel looked annoyed, as he walked away from Dean and closer to Tabbris.

Sam said, "This is good, Dean. We already have the cured demon, you."

Castiel squinted and tilted his head, "Gabriel was saved from Hell. Although it's debatable whether he's an innocent."

Dean asked, almost hesitantly, "What are the ingredients for closing the gates of Heaven?"

"A cupid's arrow, the blood of a Nephilim, and the grace of an angel," Reya answered.

Castiel looked disturbed, "Not the heart of one?"

"No, just the blood," Reya answered.

Castiel pushed past the others and rushed out of the room. After a moment, Dean followed him. Castiel headed to the gym, where he punched a punching bag several times. The last time, it flew off its stand and crashed into the wall. Castiel shuddered.

Dean said quietly, "Good thing you are low on grace or you might have knocked a hole in the wall."

Castiel growled through clenched teeth, "Metatron tricked me again. We killed an innocent girl because he insisted we needed a Nephilim's heart. Jack is proof that not all Nephilim's are evil. There's the blood of another innocent on my hands, and it never seems to end."

Dean held Castiel closely, "Metadouche is dead. We both got played. We're too trusting, remember."

Castiel nodded and buried his face into Dean's shoulder.

============

After Reya calmed down, Sam returned to where Gabriel was sleeping. The archangel was so far gone, the screaming hadn't bothered him at all. Sam sat down in the chair next to him. He wasn't sure if Gabriel actually needed someone to look out for him, but Sam could remember how it was for him when he had nightmares about being in a cage in Hell. He wanted to be there if Gabriel needed someone.

Sam noticed Lexie hovering in the doorway. He said quietly, "You can come in. He's pretty out of it."

Lexie approached Sam, staring at the bed. She whispered, "He's the Gabriel, from the Bible?"

Sam nodded. "We've met him a long time ago. Had a couple of run-ins with him, but he helped us stop the first apocalypse. It's sad that we have to keep our apocalypses numbered."

Lexie still stared at Gabriel in awe. 

"Lexie, Gabriel is a lot more like us than most of the other angels you'll meet. He stayed down in with humanity after God left. He didn't like the Lucifer/Michael drama. He likes candy bars and lollipops. I mean he can get vengeful at time and likes to punish assholes in ridiculous ways. One time he had the Hulk take care of a guy who beat his wife. He's done some terrible crap to me a time or two, but underneath he's the most like Castiel." Sam grabbed Lexie's hand and rubbed his thumb across the back of it. 

She kissed the top of his head, and Sam pulled her gently into his lap. Sam chastely kissed her, while she melted against him.

A hoarse voice from the bed said, "You two, get a room."

Lexie jumped up like she had been shocked. Sam sighed, "How are you doing, Gabe?"

"What is it with humans shortening angel names? Geez. I'm feeling better. Not, get out of bed and run naked through the building to shock the ladies, and Dean, better. Thanks for staying with me, but I'll be okay." Gabriel waggled his eyebrows at Sam and looked at Lexie. "Seems like you got more serious things to attend to."

Lexie blushed and backed towards the door. 

Gabriel sighed, "I don't bite…much. And what's your name?"

Sam offered, "Lexie, meet Gabriel. Gabriel, meet Lexie. She's not a hunter. She's a forensic archaeologist." 

Gabriel blinked at Sam, "Is she here because she's your girlfriend…"

Sam stammered, "No, we were kind of stuck for a long while and she unstuck us."

Gabriel blinked at Sam, "I've lost track of what year it is on Earth? You know how things are in Hell. I seemed to have been there forever."

"2058," Sam answered quietly.

"Holy crap, do we have hover cars yet? Please tell me there are hover cars?" Gabriel looked at him earnestly.

Sam laughed, "You and Dean and hover cars."

Gabriel closed his eyes, "I'm going to sleep more, Sam. You and Lexie go do whatever the cool kids do when they aren't babysitting the crazy uncle at Thanksgiving."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the entire band is back together :). Whew!
> 
> The title is from a Willie Nelson song:
> 
> If you had not have fallen  
> Then I would not have found you  
> Angel flying too close to the ground  
> And I patched up your broken wing and hung around a while  
> Trying to keep your spirits up and your fever down


	14. Of Feathers and Hell

Sam knocked softly on Dean's door the next morning. "Dean? You awake?" 

He heard the murmur of voices before Dean called, "Come in, Sammy."

When Sam came in, Dean was sitting on the right side of the bed, tying his boots. Castiel was shrugging his suit jacket on. Sam said, "I made pancakes. I thought I'd tell you while there are some left." He acted like there was nothing out of the ordinary at finding Castiel in Dean's room dressing.

"Come in and close the door, Sam," Dean answered.

Sam complied and sat on the chair that Dean indicated.

Castiel started, "We think we should gather the components to close both the gates of Hell and Heaven. We have most of the ingredients. We just need the cupid's arrow and the blood of a hellhound."

"Whose grace are we going to use?" Sam asked hesitantly.

Dean glowered at Castiel, "He says he'll use his if we can't find another solution."

Sam answered, "No, Cas."

Castiel looked at them. "I'm more than ok growing old with you two. I'd almost prefer it. Jack is doing well, and he won't require me for long. This isn't martyrdom; it's me being willing to change if it means locking the angels away forever."

"Isn't the spell what cast the angels from Heaven?" Sam frowned.

"Because of the way Metatron worded the spell. The ingredients are still the same." Castiel stared at them.

"How do we get rid of the demons on Earth?"

Castiel and Dean stared at each other intently before turning back to face Sam. Dean finally answered, "Soul bombs, if we can get Death's help. That's the last resort though. I'm hoping Reya finds something on the tablet or Lexie finds some scientific way or something."

"You two are both willing to fall on a sword?" Sam looked at them with his lips pursed together, radiating anger.

"Last resort, Sammy. Last resort. Come on, it's a plan even if it's not a good one. We needed some sort of plan. But first things first, we find a hellhound and a cupid. A piece of cake."

"How are we going to find a hellhound?" Sam continued to glare at them.

Dean responded, "I figure we'll have Lexie use her personal assistant Kira thingie to find someone who had incredibly good luck 9 years and 11 and a half months ago. Can you help her get on that?" Dean stood up and patted Sam on the back before exiting his room. "Good talk."

Castiel looked at Sam and quietly said, "I have no intention of letting him do the soul bomb thing again. He put us through enough the last time he did that, but I figure it isn't worth arguing with him at this point. He's not ditching us again."

Sam smiled at Castiel appreciatively, as they headed out.

=================

When Dean strolled into the library two hours later, everyone was busy. Reya and Jack were working together on the angel tablet at one table. Tabbris was translating an Enochian passage into English across from them. At the next table over, Lexie and Sam were using computers looking for people who might have made a deal with a demon. Gabriel was sitting quietly in a corner, with a Tootsie Pop stuck in his mouth. Rowena sat across from Sam reading one of the bunker's spell books. Mary and Claire were sitting at the war table pointing to and discussing a map. Castiel was sitting next to Tabbris reading a lore book.

"Whoa, we're going to need a bigger bunker," Dean mumbled.

Jack looked up at him, "We have room for three more people before we have to start cleaning out storerooms. Four, when Gabriel no longer requires sleep. That's assuming Father continues to sleep in your room when he needs to."

Dean choked on the sandwich he had been eating. Sam grinned at Dean wickedly. Castiel remained unperturbed, as he said without looking up, "I can give up my room if we need it. I rarely use it. Dean and I watched television in his room, back when Netflix still existed. I rarely need sleep as long as I don't overextend myself."

Lexie said, "Oh, you can still watch entertainment channels. I'll just need to set you up with some tech."

Gabriel tossed the stick from the Tootsie Pop into the trash can by the bookcase and conjured up another one and stuck it in his mouth. Dean narrowed his eyes at him, "You got grace back?"

"Light-weight, Dean-o. Enough to keep me in sweets, but not enough to be helpful," Gabriel grinned. "So, did you and Cassie have fun last night?"

Dean muttered under his breath, "Why didn't we leave his mouth sewn shut."

Castiel glared at Dean for a moment before going back to his book. Dean came up behind him and nudged him. "What are you doing?"

"Seeing if there's anything in here to help us track a cupid." Castiel stared up at him. "We might just need to go to a bar like we did last time. Lexie, are there any bars around here where people get hookups for sex?"

Claire gave Castiel a sharp look, "Mind bleach."

Castiel looked at her and then back down at his book, "Not for me to find a hookup. Lonely people go there. It's a good spot for cupids. I've got Dean."

Dean choked again and looked around nervously, "Ummm, we probably should go to a bigger town than Lebanon."

Gabriel offered, "Bet there's a potential for cupids in the Bahamas. Trees gently swaying. Fruity drinks by the sea. Cassie in orange boardshorts wading in the water, while Dean looks at his ass…"

Dean glared, "Shuddup. And again, I ask, why did we unsew his mouth. He doesn't need to eat."

Sam said, "We could kill two birds with one stone potentially. There's a new nightclub in New York City whose owner opened just about ten years ago. Now, get this, Cyrus Blanch went from a no one to the hottest person in the New York club scene after he bought not one, but three different lottery tickets, that resulted in him getting six million dollars to start his club. He's now worth to a quarter of a billion. Nightclub, lonely people looking for hookups, a guy who suddenly got very rich. It's thin, real thin, but maybe."

Dean shrugged, "I'm in. We can take Baby, be there in a day."

Claire interrupted, "No can do. There are no gas stations in the traditional sense and you'd stick out like a sore thumb. Lexie and I finished making you identities though. We can take the train. And before you object, I'm going with you to keep you guys out of trouble."

==============

Tabbris flew Castiel, Dean, Sam, and Claire to the bus station. Claire handed out new phones to everyone, which were more like mini computers attached to their wrist. She also explained how she put money into each of their accounts and they could hold up to a scanner to pay for anything.

As they boarded the train, Dean looked nervous. It reminded him a little too much of a plane. Claire had also said it wasn't like a traditional train that ran on tracks like he was used to, but rather hovered above them on electromagnetic currents. Sam frowned at him, "Dean, it's not a plane."

"Close enough. It's a death tube, flying through the air," Dean protested.

Claire guided them to their seats, "Shut up and sit down. Don't draw attention to us." Dean and Castiel set in two adjacent seats, facing Claire and Sam. 

"That's too late with these clothes." Dean looked down in dismay. Claire had made them all dress in different colors of leather-ish pants and matching jackets. They wore a light metallic mesh shirt under the jackets. It almost seemed like a superlight chainmail. That combined with the compressed leather jacket and pants gave them slight armor. Dean felt like a cheesy superhero as he looked down at the dark green that Claire had picked for him. "I feel like friggin' Green Arrow." He glanced at Sam's brown version and Castiel's blue. They were all tailored differently, so they weren't dressed identically. He noted that the blue outfit really made Castiel's eyes pop, but then he frowned for thinking about Castiel's eyes while in the company of others.

Castiel stared out the windows at the scenery as the train started to move. Dean closed his eyes. The train starting reminded him too much of a plane taking off. Castiel whispered in his ear, "Dean, I think it might be wise for you to continue to keep your eyes closed. I think the speed of the train will make you nauseous."

His words caused Dean to immediately open his eyes. He looked outside the train and his face turned a shade of green to match his clothes. He clamped his eyes shut. "I'll be taking a nap now, Cas."

Castiel looked across at Claire with a frown. "How long will we be on the train?"

"Four hours or so," Claire stared at him quizzically.

Castiel slipped his hand up to Dean's temple and touched him. Dean slumped in his seat. When Sam glared at him, Castiel responded, "You'll thank me later."

Castiel turned back to the window. Sam looked at Claire and smiled. She hadn't dressed like the others. She was still wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. She had insisted she was too old for the club scene, so she'd just act as a guide to get them to the right place.

Sam said quietly to her, "I like all of our newcomers, but it's good to get a chance to talk to you alone. How are Donna, Patience, and Alex?"

"They're ok. Donna is semi-retired, but she still teaches any newcomers how to shoot and other things. Patience has built up a younger team of kids that were orphaned by whatever we killed that ate their parents. Jody helped her until last year. Alex graduated from nurse to doctor after going back to med school. I helped some, I hunted solo some. I just never quite fit in with the rest, you know."

"You never tried to settle down?" Sam looked at her concerned.

"I fell for someone once. I lost her. I never did that again," Claire looked up at him. "It's not like you ever had a relationship that lasted."

"That's fair. Our life doesn't really lend itself to one," Sam gave her a sad smile.

"My two dads seem to be making a go of it," Claire smiled.

"Well, that's sort of new. Well, to us new. Still can't believe they kissed for forty years," Sam snickered.

Castiel turned towards Sam and pinned him with an intent glare for a minute. He then returned to looking out the window.

Sam said quietly, "It's not that I mind, Cas. I wanted you and Dean to get together for years."

"I know. It's just Dean; you make a joke out of it, and he'll find a way to freak out about it somehow. I'll get another lecture on personal space," Castiel sighed.

Claire laughed. "I love you, guys."

======================

When the train arrived in New York City, they disembarked from it. Claire took them to a hotel and checked them into two adjoining rooms. 

As they dropped their bags off in the room, Claire started, "Okay, guys." She pulled up a map of the area on her tablet. "Hotel is here. The club is five blocks east. Right there. You guys call me if you have any problems."

After a light dinner, the three of them headed to the club. Dean paid the cover charges, as they went in. The music was noisy, and Dean grimaced at the technopop sound of it. "What happened to Zepp," he muttered. "Cas, you and Sam see if you can find a cupid. I'll go look for the Cyrus dude." Dean studied the picture that Lexie had given him. The guy resembled Garth in build but had bright purple hair that stuck out in all directions and a pierced nose and lip.

Castiel looked uncomfortable separating from Dean, but he found a table on the edge from which he could survey the room from. He stared around the room intently. Sam ordered two drinks from the bar and sat with Castiel. Castiel's eyebrows furrowed as he said, "I'm not in jeopardy from a cupid. You should stay with Dean."

Sam shook his head. "He wants me to help you. This place is so surreal. I feel like I'm in a Blade Runner movie."

" I haven't seen that one. It must not be one of Dean's favorites. I'm not detecting any angels in the vicinity, Cupids or otherwise. No demons either."

"Are you ok, Cas? With everything?"

Castiel stared at Sam. "Why wouldn't I be? We defeated Michael and saved the world. Jack is fine. Although I am concerned about the bad influence that Gabriel might have on him in our absence. Jack already likes candy bars far too much."

"I dunno. The bunker is just so full of people. You're mostly a loner."

Castiel blinked. "I was the captain of a garrison. I was surrounded by angels. Before I fell, I was rarely alone. I admit that sometimes they are a bit noisy and I want to escape them. Before I could just fly someplace when others got on my nerves."

"I get that," Sam sipped his drink.

Castiel growled, "I'm supposed to say I'm fine. That's what humans do. But, it is very frustrating to know that other angels can fly again and I cannot. Having Tabbris act as our shuttle service is annoying. When I got stuck in Mexico, it was annoying. Gabriel's wings are fine too. So, he'll be able to fly. It's all just very frustrating." Castiel caught himself and looked placid again, "But I'm fine." He suddenly turned his head. "Cupid over by the door."

He stood up and deftly moved across the dense floor. Sam kept getting trapped between people as he tried to move his much larger frame through the crowd and lagged behind. Castiel put his hand on the shoulder of a slender, brunette woman exiting the club. She turned around to look at him.

"Castiel, you're alive?" She stared at him in disbelief. 

"Hi, Lisiel. May we step outside a moment?" Castiel smiled slightly.

She nodded and exited the bar. She looked nervously at Sam as he joined them, but led Castiel to a park bench a block away.

"How are you alive, Castiel? It's been so long since any of us heard from you. We know you were in the Heaven Battle but thought you were lost." She looked at him suspiciously.

"I was locked away, but I've returned. I…I have to ask you for something which you probably should not give to me, but I will ask it of you anyway. Earth is becoming a battleground between angels and demons. We have plans to lock the demons away by closing the gates of hell. But…" He faded out. He looked at Sam hopelessly, "It's too much to ask."

She stared at Castiel and said matter-of-factly, "After the demons, you want to lock away the angels, as well."

"Heaven has not been right for a long time. Humans should not have to suffer for our misdeeds…for my misdeeds," Castiel looked at her mournfully.

"Chaos was happening before you ever removed Raphael, Castiel. Orders have been sporadic for a long time. Our Father abandoned us, and the archangels took matters into their own hands. And now, Anael is trying to make cupids into soldiers. That will not work. We are not designed to fight. Now, I just bring together people who seem like they might fit well together. I no longer have directions and order. I want things to be right again." She stared at Castiel intently.

"To close Heaven's gates again, I need the bow of a cupid. That would stop your work." Castiel looked away.

"This will not cast the angels out of Heaven again?" 

Castiel shook his head, "Metatron purposely cast the spell in a way that would do that. He wanted all the angels to fall. I just want to make Earth safe for humans."

"I want to protect humanity." She turned her hand over and after a moment, handed Castiel a disk with the bow engraved on it. "Please help us restore order, Castiel."

Castiel winced inwardly, "I'll do my best, Lisiel." Lisiel disappeared with the ruffling of wings. Castiel turned to Sam and said softly, "How many more angels' deaths will I be responsible for? They always ask me for help, but I never manage to do so."

"It never ends, Cas. Dean stopped me from closing the gates of Hell. How many lives have been lost because of that." Sam sighed sadly, as he put a hand on Castiel's shoulder.

====================

Dean walked around the club with a drink in his hand, pretending to be an affable drunk. He saw Cyrus in the corner to a woman with a bleached blonde hair in a short red dress. Dean noted Cyrus' eyes looked tired, and he seemed nervous. Dean picked his way across the crowd and noted that two large burly guys stood within a few feet of Cyrus. Dean assumed they were bodyguards.

Dean plastered a smile on his face as he staggered over to Cyrus. He pretended to stumble and grabbed one of the bodyguards, spilling his drink on him. He said, "Nice place you got here, Cyrus. Oh man, I'm sorry about that. " Dean started patting the bodyguard down with a napkin he carried. Dean paused, "Man, do you hear that? I think I hear a dog or a wolf or something." The bodyguard grabbed Dean's shoulders.

Cyrus flinched. "I don't hear anything."

"I heard some scratching outside too before I came in. Man, the demons must be out tonight. You know, demons, drinking, ladies, bacon. A decade worth of trauma." Dean gave Cyrus an appraising look.

Cyrus looked at Dean stiffly. He turned briefly to the blonde, "Amanda, baby, could you go grab us a table on the upper level, and I'll come join you in a moment." After Amanda left, Cyrus hissed at his bodyguards to leave him for a moment. When he and Dean were alone, he asked, "What are you talking about? What do you know?"

Dean shrugged. "Almost ten years ago tonight, you sold your soul to the devil in order to become someone important. Your time is almost out. You got to feel the hellhounds coming closer." Dean looked at him through narrowed eyes, "Was it worth it?"

Cyrus looked at him coolly for a minute before saying softly, "How do I get out of it?"

Dean shook his head, "You can't."

The man looked at Dean in disbelief. "What can I do?"

"I can kill that hellhound for you and ward you against demons being able to find you. But, you'll have to leave all this behind." Dean waved his hand slowly, indicating the club.

Cyrus stared at him, "What do you get out of it?"

"I just want to gank a hellhound, man. You come with me, and me, my brother and my…friend will protect you. We'll kill the hellhound that comes after you. Then, you take an airplane far away. You lay low, the demons won't find you because we'll give you something to protect you from being detected. If you continue to make a public spectacle of yourself, the demons will find you and send another hellhound to drag you to hell."

"My bodyguards…"

"…don't have what it takes to kill a hellhound. They're invisible and relentless. How long until the 10th anniversary of your deal?"

"Tomorrow evening."

Dean shrugged, "We'll be at the Empire hotel. You go there tomorrow morning and ask for Dean Smith's room. Don't be late. Hellhounds are very punctual."

Cyrus nodded. Dean turned on his heels and noticed Sam and Castiel standing near the entrance. "Come on. He's scared shitless. He'll meet us at the hotel tomorrow. I got a pretty good read on the guy."

When they returned to the hotel, Claire had demon proofed the room. Claire and Dean watched a 3D movie, while Sam was reading a virtual book in the corner. He smiled as he got a message on his personal device. Castiel was sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in through. The noise from Sam's device startled him. 

Castiel looked at him, "Lexie?"

Sam laughed, "No, that time it was Gabe asking me where the honey was. I told him in the cabinet behind the sugar canister. He told me no, she's at the table eating a pie he made her and he sent me a picture of Lexie."

Castiel snorted softly, "Gabriel is bored while his grace regenerates. A bored Gabriel is a mischievous one."

"Are you glad he's back?"

Castiel smiled, "Yeah. I've missed him. He's the only archangel I could ever stand. The rest of them were annoying assholes full of righteous superiority. Bags of dicks."

"Dean's been such a good influence on your language," Sam shook his head.

================

The next morning, Dean and Castiel waited in the room, while Sam and Claire made a run for food. A sharp knock on the door caused Castiel to pull his angel blade, while Dean hid his gun behind his back. Dean cautiously Cyrus was outside carrying a duffle bag. He hair was now dyed brown and he had removed his piercings. 

He seemed agitated and said shakily, "I keep hearing it. It's close now."

Dean looked at him reassuringly, "We'll take care of it. After we do, you just need to keep running because there will be more."

When Claire and Sam returned, they all ate breakfast and drank coffee. Dean pulled Cyrus into a game of poker to try to distract him from the lengthening shadows as night time approached. 

Castiel said uneasily after dusk, "It's near. I can sense it."

Dean escorted Cyrus to the bathroom. "Stay in there. Do not come out until we tell you too." Sam and Dean pulled out tempered glasses that allowed them to see the hellhound and angel blades. Castiel glowered at the door with his blade drawn, while Claire positioned herself against the wall with a gun containing bullets with devil's traps engraved within them. They could hear the hellhound outside the door scratching. Castiel put his hand on the door handle and nodded to the hunters. Castiel yanked the door, while the massive animal knocked him out of the way. Through their special glasses, the hunters could see the outline of the creature. The hellhound lunged at Sam first, because Sam was between the bathroom and the front door. Sam managed to get a good swipe in before being rammed and thrown across the room. Dean drove his angel blade deep into the creature's side, the blow reverberating through his arm. Castiel jumped on top of the create and drove the blade into its neck. The hellhound gave one final gasp and collapse to the ground. Claire grabbed a trio of vials and filled them with blood. Dean pulled open the door to the bathroom.

Cyrus stumbled out, "Is it over?" He stared at the room covered in blood from the hellhound.

Dean handed Cyrus a hex bag. "Keep that in your pocket at all times and a demon won't be able to find you, as long as you stay out of the limelight. Now, get out of here. We have some cleanup to do before we can return home."

Cyrus started to walk out the door but paused. He held up the personal device on his wrist. "I like paying my debts. " He made some quick movements and transferred money to the Dean's device. "Thanks, again."

Dean looked at Sam, "That's the first time I've been paid for a case in like forever."

They looked around the room in dismay. "How are we going to clean this up?" Sam asked.

Claire smiled at them, "Don't worry. Got some hunter friends that will take care of it for us."

They departed for the train station with the spell ingredients they came for.


	15. There's No Place Like Home

A few hours later in the bunker’s library, Tabbris heard Castiel send a prayer asking her to retrieve him, the Winchesters, and Claire from the train station. As she said goodbye to Reya, she felt a shiver up her spine as she realized something was coming. A moment later, the ground trembled and a loud booming noise reverberated through the bunker. A few pictures fell off the walls.  
  
Sitting in a chair in the corner of the library, Gabriel's eyes narrowed, "Something's really wrong." He stood up, his eyes sparked blue.  
  
Tabbris pulled out her angel blade and stood tensely. Lexie looked at Gabriel and Tabbris, "What's going on?"  
  
The ground shook again as another loud boom rocked the bunker. The stand holding a katana on a shelf shuddered and the blade fell to the ground. The clatter of high heels came up the hallway, as Rowena entered the library with Mary close behind her. "What the bloody hell is going on out here?"  
  
Gabriel growled, "We've got visitors."  
  
Mary walked quickly into the office where monitors displayed the grounds outside. She gulped as she saw Asmodeus with more than a dozen demons carving symbols into the ground. The wind had picked up and the sky was dark with billowing black clouds. She called out to the others, "We have demons."  
  
Gabriel cursed. "If I just had a few more days, I could kick their asses."  
  
Rowena told Tabbris, "You could go collect the Winchesters quick. If anyone can figure this out, it's them."  
  
Tabbris caught Reya's eyes and stared at her for a few seconds before disappearing with a flutter of wings. Lexie glanced between Rowena and Gabriel, "What do we do?"  
  
Jack offered, "I could go out and fight them."  
  
Mary responded, "I think that is what they want, Jack. They want you and Gabriel. I'm sure this is a trap. Do not leave the bunker."  
  
Reya glared at the tablet in frustration, "I'm so close to deciphering a section on armies, but I just haven't been able to figure out this one bit yet."  
  
The bunker shook again with a sharp tremor as a crack appeared on one of the walls. Mary barked out, "Everyone, grab bags and crates from the storeroom and pack as much of the most important books and artifacts. Priority on anything demonic, angelic, and witchy. I think we might have to evacuate."  
  
Reya responded, "And go where? I was told this was the safest place for me to be. It doesn't seem so safe right now."  
  
Jack said, "It's because of me. They probably detected me."  
  
Gabriel scoffed, "I told Sam and Dean that the southern fried dumbass would be after me."  
  
Rowena said, "It's probably all of these things put together. Now, don't dawdle. Grab everything you can and pack it up. Don't let go of the angel tablet, Reya."  
  
Tabbris arrived with the others and staggered as she landed. Another loud boom sounded as books started to rattle of the shelves.  
  
Dean growled, "Son of a bitch. What now?"  
  
Jack answered, "Demons. Should we fight them?"  
  
A sudden burst of light exploded through the room and then disappeared. Gabriel jumped startled, "Angels. There're angels out there too."  
  
Dean and Sam joined Mary in the office. They stared at the monitors as a group of angels engaged the demons. The bunker rocked with another tremor, as pieces of the ceiling cracked and rained down on him and Sam. Dean stared at Sam with widened eyes. "Sam, this is bad. Real bad."  
  
Tabbris snarled, "I have to get Reya and the tablet somewhere safe."  
  
Castiel glared at her, "We've got to get everyone somewhere safe."  
  
Mary asked, "Where would that be?"  
  
Lexie asked softly from the doorway, "Another Men of Letters bunker?"  
  
Dean turned to face her. "We aren't going to go play with the British Men of Letters. That is all we need to make this a final cluster fuck."  
  
"There's one in Canada. I found it in the archives here. It's outside of Vancouver. The Canadian Men of Letters were wiped out with the American Men of Letters, so I would think it would be empty." Lexie displayed a holographic image of the map to show everyone.  
  
"How do we get there?" Dean asked, almost stumbling as the ground around the bunker shook again. "Tabbris can't move us all again."  
  
Jack said, "Gabriel can."  
  
Dean turned to face Gabriel. "How's your mojo?"  
  
"I'd love to help, Dean-o, but I'm pretty tapped out still. I can try but half of us might end up in Montana on the side of a mountain."  
  
Claire called out, "The wards are starting to flicker."  
  
Dean turned to Sam, "How long do you think we got?"  
  
Sam shrugged, staring at the monitors. "I'm not sure which side is going to win, but I'm pretty sure it won't matter because the bunker will fall apart around us before then."  
  
Dean closed his eyes, "The problem with a bunker is the lack of escape routes."  
  
Jack bit his lip, deep in thought. "Gabriel, if you touch my soul and use it as a battery would it allow you to move all of us?"  
  
Gabriel stared at him, "Jack, the risk of doing that is high. It could cause both of us to explode in the equivalent of a supernova. I mean a normal human soul is powerful. Yours is exponentially more so."  
  
Jack looked at him earnestly, "It will not matter if we don't find a way out of here."  
  
Claire called out, "The wards are going to last about ten more minutes tops. We've lost two layers already."  
  
Castiel frowned at Gabriel and Jack, "I think that is our only viable option."  
  
Dean glanced around, "Ok. Everyone in the garage in eight minutes with whatever you can grab. Move now!"  
  
Everyone scattered to gather supplies while Castiel, Gabriel, and Jack headed to the garage. Jack sat on the fender of the Impala. "I'm ready." He glanced at Gabriel and smiled and then turned to Castiel for reassurance. Castiel hugged Jack tightly for a moment before pulling back and facing Gabriel.  
  
Castiel murmured, "Be careful, Gabriel."  
  
Gabriel nodded before touching Jack gingerly. His hand pushed through Jack's chest as he held his soul. The air around Gabriel and Jack became supercharged and a fiery glow surrounded the two of them. Gabriel's wings flared out behind him and his eyes glowed orange. After a few seconds, Gabriel pulled his hand back and Jack collapsed. Castiel caught him, holding him tight. Castiel asked Gabriel, "Brother?"  
  
"I'm juiced, Cassie. Boy, am I! You sure you don't want me to go smite them?"  
  
"No, Gabriel. We need to fight them on our terms, not at theirs." He stopped talking as others started to gather in the room. Everyone carried as much as they could. Dean counted to make sure everyone was present before facing Gabriel.  
  
"You got this, Gabe?" Dean placed a hand on Gabriel's shoulder. He felt the pull of concern as he watched Castiel cradle Jack's unconscious body.  
  
The walls of the bunker cracked as another tremor hit at the foundation of the bunker. Gabriel started to glow with his wings encircling the group. Dean fought of a wave of nausea as lights and colors exploded around him. When he could refocus his eyes again, the group was standing outside of a door that appeared identical to the garage door of their bunker. The Impala was parked off to one side with Castiel still leaning against it, holding Jack.  
  
  
Gabriel staggered for a moment. Tabbris dropped the bag she was holding to hold him upright.  
  
Dean took the bunker key, opened the garage door, and glanced in. A different set of vintage cars were parked in the spaces, all around the same era as theirs. Other than that, the garages looked identical. Dean said, "Mom, Sam, and Claire, come with me. The rest of you stay here. Tabbris, you're on guard duty."  
  
Tabbris stiffened like she was about to protest taking orders but swallowed her comments.  
  
The Winchesters and Claire entered the bunker gingerly. The layout was the same as their bunker, but a coating of dust permeated all surfaces and the air was stagnant. As they entered the library, the sensors detected them, and the sound of the ventilation system kicked in. After ensuring that there were no other occupants in the bunker, Claire and Sam headed to ensure all the wards were up and intact, while Dean and Mary went back to the group.  
  
Dean said, "Everything checks out. Go put your stuff where it needs to go. Its layout is just like the other one, so go claim your rooms. Sam is taking care of setting the wards, so our angels can get in."  
  
As everyone but Gabriel, Jack, and Castiel left, Dean asked, "How's Jack?"  
  
Castiel sighed, "I think he'll be ok, but that took a lot out of him. He'll probably sleep for a day or two. I'll go find him a room for him."  
  
After Castiel carried Jack into the bunker, Dean turned to face Gabriel, "Thanks, man."  
  
Gabriel raised an eyebrow and summoned a Tootsie Pop, "I'm an angel, Dean. Want a lollipop?"  
  
Dean shook his head. "Is the mojo going to stick?"  
  
Gabriel nodded. "I think so. I'm still not at full capacity, but I'm better. I'm not quite ready to do ten rounds with that prince of smell, but I'm starting to get some spark back. I'd rather not have had to do this to the kid though. Are you ok, Dean-o?"  
  
"Besides being run out of my home, I'm peachy. We have everything we need to close the gates of Heaven and Hell. We just need to figure out how to get close enough to. Thanks for bringing Baby."  
  
Gabriel snorted, "If I left it behind, you would have insisted I go back for it."  
  
"Good point," Dean smiled. "Thanks again."  
  
Dean pulled the Impala into the garage before heading back into the main bunker. He stopped in the doorway of the library as he watched Rowena animate brooms and feather dusters to clean the library. The animated objects danced about like something out of an old Disney movie. Lexie watched in fascination, as Mary stood there shaking her head.  
  
"What the hell?" Dean stammered.  
  
Mary grinned at him, "It's just a thing she started doing after watching Fantasia once." Mary smiled at Rowena fondly.  
  
Rowena glanced over her shoulder at Dean haughtily and said, "You'll thank me, Dean, after this place is spic and span and as neat as a pin again."  
  
Dean looked at Mary in confusion and muttered under his breath as he approached the kitchen. Sam was in there, working on the fridge. He turned to Dean. "It's disgusting."  
  
Dean opened a cabinet to pull out a bottle of whiskey, before realizing it was in that location in the other bunker. He sighed at sat at the kitchen table. "Sammy, what the hell are we going to do now?"  
  
Sam opened a cabinet on the other side of the stove and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He wiped the bottle with his flannel before opening it. "I found this. Aged whiskey, Dean. Never opened." He handed the bottle to Dean. Dean took a long drink and handed it back to Sam. Sam took a swig and started to pass the bottle back to Dean but stopped when Dean shook his head.  
  
Gabriel wandered in a moment later. He glanced around the room and snapped his fingers, and the room was immediately cleaned. He opened the refrigerator door, stared at the contents, and then closed it. "Fully stocked now, boys. Wouldn't want you humans to starve." He pulled the bottle of whiskey from Sam's hand and took a drink. He got a sour face, "Don't know why you'd drink that when we could have chocolate, but whatever." He put the bottle on the table.  
  
Dean's eyebrows furrowed as he met Gabriel's eyes, "Would the angels listen to you, Gabriel? Would they help with the demons?"  
  
Gabriel stared at him thoughtfully, "They might. But you know trying to control Heaven, really not my thing."  
  
"But would you try?" Dean asked.  
  
"That depends. Will you make an honest man out of my little brother?" Gabriel smiled as he summoned a candy bar. Dean looked flustered, as he struggled to answer. Gabriel grinned, "You know, picket fence, 2.4 kids, a dog named Mopsie." Dean just stared at him. "Ok, you can have a cat named Fluffy instead, and only 1.5 kids."  
  
Castiel growled as he entered the room, "That's enough, Gabriel."  
  
Gabriel whined at him plaintively, "I was just starting to have fun, Cassie."  
  
"We could try to talk to the angels, Dean, but you know how well that has worked out for me before." Castiel sighed. "Maybe, with Gabriel, they'll listen. However, Anael seems to be fairly corrupt, so the likelihood it will end well is slim." Dean and Castiel stared at each other for a long moment.  
  
"How's Jack?" Sam asked, changing the topic.  
  
"He'll be fine. He's just sleeping it off. Thankfully." Castiel picked up the bottle of whiskey and took a long drink.  
  
==================  
  
Tabbris helped Reya set up her room. She used her grace to clean the room and sheets. She cast her eyes at Reya thoughtfully, "I'm not sure it is safe for us to stay with Jack and Gabriel. They attract attention. We should probably leave."  
  
Reya gasped, "They need help with the demons."  
  
Tabbris stared intently into Reya's eyes. "My priority is to keep you safe. I'm not sure I can do that with them."  
  
Reya pulled Tabbris to sit next to her on the bed. Tabbris resisted at first, but then let herself be pulled down. Reya stroked Tabbris' cheek for a moment before saying, "If we don't fight the demons, they will eventually take down the world. The safest thing we can do is to fight them. You saw what they did to our once impenetrable fortress."  
  
Tabbris stared at the wall stoically. Reya nudged her a little bit, "Plus, Tabby, admit it. You like being around Castiel and Gabriel."  
  
Tabbris faced Reya, "They are very different from the other angels."  
  
Reya intertwined her fingers with Tabbris', "We're safe for now. I think I'm really close to deciphering the part about armies. I know it will all be okay."  
  
"Because you had a vision?" Tabbris stared at her with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"No, because I have faith in us, dumbass. We'll figure out a way to fight and defeat the demons."  
  
Reya leaned into Tabbris and kissed her gently. Tabbris froze for a moment, before kissing her back tentatively. Reya smiled and buried her hands deep into Tabbris' hair.  
  
=====================  
  
Lexie was sitting on the edge of the bed when Sam walked by the room she selected. She had her chin resting on her hands. He paused and entered the room. "Are you okay?"  
  
She looked up at him startled as he interrupted her deep thoughts. "I'm fine. I'm just sad that the other bunker -- all those historical texts and artifacts. I could have spent a lifetime studying them."  
  
"Yeah, it's pretty depressing. We saved what we could though. It's probably still all there. Maybe the angels and demons left when they sensed Jack and Gabriel leaving. I checked out the library and archives here. It's not as big, but it still has some interesting things." Sam sat on the edge of the bed next to her and put an arm around her.  
  
"What am I doing here, Sam? I'm of little to no use to you all," Lexie sighed, as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I don't have the ability to read the tablet like Reya, I'm not a hunter, I'm not a witch, what am I?"  
  
"The woman who is helping us save the world. Today, you knew where the other Men of Letters Bunker was because you research everything. You helped me find the guy with the demon deal, so we could gank a hellhound. You help all the time, Lexie." Sam stroked her cheek with his thumb. "You help me stay sane with all this craziness going on. I was basically asleep for 40 years. Everything is different. I'm used to being able to hack into things and find out what I need to know. I'd be lost without you. I'd be lost without this." Sam leaned over and kissed her slowly.  
  
Lexie giggled. Sam pulled back and stared at her. "What?"  
  
"Nothing, I'm just thinking you are the most interesting artifact I've ever dug up on an excavation." She grinned at him.  
  
He snorted and kissed her again.  
  
==================  
  
After everyone started settling in for the evening, Mary caught Rowena trying to leave through the front door of the bunker. Mary blinked at her, "Where are you going?"  
  
Rowena stared at Mary intently, "Mary, you know I've been trying to help with things at a distance. Today, we almost got caught. I'm good at surviving; that's what I know. I want to have faith in your sons, but it's hard to come by some days."  
  
Mary caught either side of her face with her hands, "If you can't have faith in Sam and Dean, have faith in me."  
  
Rowena looked longingly at the door, "I'm trying, Mary, but… I'm no hero. I'm just trying to redeem myself just a little bit for all the bad I've done. My son turned into a hero at the altar of the Winchesters and he died. And unlike the boys and Feathers, he didn't come back. He was the only family I had, and he died because of them."  
  
Mary glared at Rowena reprovingly, "Your son died because he was trying to clean up the mess he made by trapping Lucifer instead of sending back to the cage. He was trying to fix his own mistakes."  
  
Rowena sighed and stared up at the roof. "It's easy for you, Mary. It always has been. You are so good at heart that you always want to do your best for everyone. I'm used to running when the going gets tough. I ran from Fergus. I'm not the type to stay around and save people just out of the wee kindness of my heart."  
  
Mary nudged her playfully, "You stuck around with me."  
  
Rowena smiled at her fondly, "It's easy with you."  
  
Mary frowned at her, "You helped the boys defeat the Darkness, you saved Dean when the witch made him lose his memory, you helped them cage Lucifer, and you helped me to keep destabilizing the demons. You're good, Rowena, whether you like it or not."  
  
Rowena muttered, "I don't like being good. It's no fun."  
  
======================  
  
Castiel knocked softly on the door of the room Gabriel claimed before entering. Gabriel was sprawled out on the bed, reading a book. Castiel glanced at the title and frowned when he saw it was the Edlund Carver book, _Wendigo_. Gabriel put down the book. "Just brushing up on the Winchester chronicles. You know how much fan fiction has been written about you and chisel chin, perfect ass?"  
  
Castiel rolled his eyes, "I am aware. Gabriel, should we talk to the angels? Tabbris was very sure it would be pointless to negotiate with Anael."  
  
Gabriel sat up, frowning. "Well, that being what it is, I think we should give it the old college try. No harm in visiting upstairs as long as we have an escape hatch."  
  
"I can't fly," Castiel muttered. "You'll have to be my escape hatch."  
  
Gabriel snapped his fingers and Castiel's wings appeared, frayed and burned. Gabriel grimaced as he looked at them. "Ouch. That had to hurt."  
  
Castiel frowned as he tried to will his wings out of current plane and back to the celestial one but failed. He growled, "Yes, it hurt. It's embarrassing. Just leave them alone. It's just more evidence of my constant failure."  
  
Gabriel stood up. "Nope, I refuse."  
  
Castiel sighed. "I really don't want Dean to see them this way." He added, "Or Sam or Mary." His voice trailed off with a soft, "Please."  
  
"You're not a failure, Castiel." Gabriel frowned at him. "Why would you say that?"  
  
"I caused the angels to fall. I let Lucifer out. I let Leviathans out. I devastated Heaven. Take your pick." Castiel looked away.  
  
"And, you saved the world several times. And your plucky little determined attitude is one of the reasons I gave the boys the keys to shoving Lucifer back into the cage. I couldn't let you show me up. I think I can fix this though." He extended two fingers out to Castiel's head and concentrated. Castiel cried out and twitched as pain shot through him. With seconds of his outcry, Dean rounded the corner with his angel blade drawn. He stopped short and stared in fascination as Castiel's wings stitched themselves back together. The lights flickered as blue energy swirled around him. When the wings were healed, Gabriel removed his hand from Castiel's forehead.  
  
Castiel glanced at Dean nervously before flexing his wings experimentally. He disappeared with the rustling sound of feathers.  
  
Dean said dryly to Gabriel, "Thanks for that. He's hard enough to keep track of before he could fly again."  
  
Gabriel laid back down on the bed. "Put back the grace restoration a bit, but I think it's worth it. Are you a Twizzler or Red Vines guy?" He held out two bags of red licorice to Dean.  
  
Dean shook his head at the candy, "Actually, in all seriousness, thank you for giving back his wings. He hasn't been the same since he lost them."  
  
"Just helping him be a real boy again." Gabriel winked. He then said softly, "Dad didn't always cut Castiel the best deal. He made him different from the rest of us, and then Castiel kept getting punished for it. I remember when Castiel was a little fledgling and he asked what everything was and why it was that way. None of the other angels did that, well except for me. He deserves someone to love him, even though he's different, rather dorky, undeniably angelically constipated most of the time, mostly obtuse, and a total dweeb. But he's your total dweeb. Now, shoo, I need a nap." Gabriel waved at him dismissively before closing his eyes.  
  
Dean whispered, "Thank you," before he turned and headed to his room. The room wasn't in bad shape. Castiel had cleaned it up mostly for him. He closed the door behind him. As he pulled off his shirt, he heard the rustle of feathers behind him.  
  
"Hello, Dean."  
  
Dean felt tears well up in his eyes as he felt Castiel standing behind him. He turned around with a soft smile, "Dude, personal space. We talked about this." He then leaned forward and kissed him gently, drawing him closer.


	16. Wise Men Say

When Claire woke up the following morning, she walked into the kitchen to find Castiel starting to brew a pot of coffee. She smiled fondly as she watched Castiel precisely measure everything before pressing the brew button. 

As he turned around, she threw herself into her arms and hugged him. For a moment, he could see the impish attitude she had as a teenager and hugged her tightly back. They stood quietly for a few minutes. Eventually, Claire pulled back and murmured, "I never doubted you'd come back, Cas. But, my God, did I have to wait a long time."

Castiel caught her chin gently. "If not for you, we would most likely still be stuck in that dome, Claire. We owe you a huge debt that cannot be repaid." He kissed her forehead.

"You, doof. You're family. That's the kind of stuff you do for family."

Castiel grinned. "Watch this." He disappeared with a whispering wind. Claire turned around in circles, confused. He walked back in from the library. 

"You can fly?"

Castiel nodded. "Gabriel fixed me."

She repeated, "You can fly! I'll just call you Peter Pan." She hugged him tightly again.

A shuffling noise at the door caused the two of them to turn to face it. Jack staggered in, appearing a little worse for the wear. He yawned at Castiel, "Gabriel and I did not explode so I assume we are safe?"

Castiel walked over and hugged him. "Thank you, Jack. We're in the bunker in Canada. You helped save us."

"Good, good. " Jack extricated himself from Castiel's hug. "I really need a PB&J. I'm starving."

Claire responded, "I'm on it." She headed to pull a plate from the cabinet.

Castiel looked up and down Jack, inspecting him. "You're really ok?"

Jack nodded as he sat at the table. Castiel smiled softly as he watched his two kids. He regretted missing so much of Claire's life but was proud of who she had grown up to be.

After making Jack a sandwich, Claire started making breakfast for the rest of the crew. Castiel attempted to help her, but she ordered him out after he knocked over a box of biscuit mix. Castiel entered the library and found Reya already hunched over the angel tablet with Tabbris standing cross-armed behind her.

"Good morning." Castiel sat at the table across from Reya. Reya grunted something resembling a hello, while Tabbris nodded at him. Castiel shook his head and watched the two. He could feel a palpable tension between them. He mused to himself if that is what Sam always felt when he and Dean were near each other. Castiel sat there quietly, so he didn't disturb them. 

About a half hour later, Dean entered the room with a "Good morning, Sunshine" directed towards Castiel. He placed a plate of eggs and bacon next to Reya. Dean said, "Breakfast is served."

Reya grunted at him and continued on until Tabbris reached over and took the angel tablet from her. She said sternly, "Eat."

Reya blinked and said, "Oh, hi, Dean and Cas."

Dean smirked, "Come up for air once in a while, Reya!"

Reya nodded, as she continued to eat quickly while reading her notes. She kept brushing her long hair out of her face. Dean muttered to Castiel, "She's like if Sam and Kevin had had a love child."

Castiel glanced at him with a tilted head, "I think that would be impossible. They're both males."

Tabbris blinked at Castiel, "Yes, that would be highly improbable."

Reya snorted and choked on her eggs. Dean grinned at her, "Angels! Am I right?"

Reya grinned, "You have to love them."

Dean answered, "Or kill them."

Tabbris and Castiel stared at each other. Gabriel entered the room laughing, "Or both. Dean-o, I think I passed some sort of grace threshold because today I'm feeling much more like my old self." He snapped his fingers, and two buxom blondes appeared on either side of him in nurse outfits. "They must have nursed me back to health." He put an arm around each one. 

Castiel rolled his eyes. Gabriel snapped his fingers and the women disappeared. Gabriel said, "I'm good to try to talk sense into the angels when the rest of you are ready."

Tabbris frowned, "I want to wait another day to make sure nothing knows we are here before leaving the bunker defenseless."

Dean bristled, "Defenseless! We have four hunters, a witch, a Nephilim, a psychic, and science girl."

"Right, all humans, except for the young Nephilim," Tabbris said placidly.

Dean frowned and started to speak before Castiel jumped in, "I find humans usually far exceed my expectations. However, it might be wise to go outside today and put more wards in place to keep angels from sensing Jack. We'll go talk to the angels tomorrow."

Dean stared at Castiel a moment, "I'll go get some supplies so we can do that." He stalked out of the room.

Castiel stared at Tabbris and said sternly, "Do not look down on humans. That is what got us into the situation we are in today."

Tabbris moved uncomfortably, "I don't look down on them. I just wish to protect them."

"My urge to protect the Winchesters caused many things to go wrong. Trust in them." Castiel went off to find Dean.

Gabriel winked at Tabbris, "Open mouth. Insert foot."

"Humans are complex," Tabbris grunted.

"Bingo, sweetheart. Don't forget that. It's both the coolest and the most annoying thing about them."

==============================

Dean, Sam, and Castiel left the bunker to inspect the surrounding area. Castiel knelt on the ground and started drawing a sigil on the ground while Sam and Dean watched. Dean glanced at Sam, "You been doing ok? We've been constantly in the middle of crap since we got released."

Sam nodded, "I'm fine. But, Dean, what are we even doing? No matter how hard we try, there always seems to be another apocalypse. Last time we tried to corral the angels and demons, we made the angels fall."

Castiel called out, "That's on me."

Dean answered, "It took us all to get there, not just you, Cas. I don't know, Sam. This new world is crazy and I can't even buy gas for Baby. It's like we're dinosaurs. We were frozen for 40 years and the world kept turning. It didn't end. So, how relevant are we anymore?"

Castiel stood up and brushed the dirt of the knees of his dress pants. He walked over to the brothers. "The only thing that stands between demons taking over is a group of corrupt angels. They will eventually fail. Then, everyone loses. We still have work to do, Dean."

Dean sighed, "I know. It's just…" Dean trailed off, gazing at the trees in the distance.

Sam put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "Well, I guess we did save the world from Michael."

Dean snorted, "Jack is the one that took care of Michael."

"You two raised Jack when I couldn't and started him down the right path," Castiel rebuked.

Dean contemplated Sam, "If we actually somehow pull this off and put the demons and angels back to where they belong, what are you going to do, Sammy?"

Sam let out a small, disbelieving laugh. "Dude, I don't even have a clue. Kill werewolves."

"I say we retire. We got Team Free Will 3.0 in the bunker there. Let's let them take over." Dean grinned. "It's like a start of a bad joke, an angel, a Nephilim, a prophet, and an archaeologist walk into a bar."

Sam smirked, "Not to mention a witch, a hunter, and an archangel with a sweet tooth. How about you, Cas? What do you want to do if we survive this one?"

Castiel froze and looked at the ground. "It depends on what Jack wants. I promised his mother I'd take care of him. I haven't asked him if he wants to go to Heaven or stay on Earth."

Dean with more confidence than he felt answered, "Nah, he'll stay with us. He's family. You don't leave family behind."

Castiel stared at Dean intently, "We're only part of his family."

"Well, we're the important part. Right, Sammy?" Dean glanced at Sam for confirmation.

"Yeah, Dean. Sure. I'm positive he'll stick with us," Sam said reassuringly. "What do you think is going on between Mom and Rowena?"

Dean snorted, "I don't know and I don't think I want to know. They've been up to something for forty years. I don't have a clue."

Castiel said softly, "Your mother has an aura of magic around her that she didn't have before. It could be whatever Rowena did to make her not age, but it might be something more."

"We'll have to figure that out later," Dean sighed.

Castiel frowned at him sternly, "Or you could simply ask her. Don't make things needlessly complicated." Castiel walked off to set up another sigil.

Dean faced Sam, "How about you and science girl?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably, "I care for her a lot. But you know what happens every time I get close to a woman." Sam went quiet as he thought about Jess, Madison, Sarah, Eileen, and others he'd lost over the years.

"Then, you are due for a break. I say if we send those demon sons of bitches to Hell and the angel dicks to Heaven, you settle down and go back to school. Leave this life. You've done your part. We have to figure out all this newfangled stuff. We're like dinosaurs, dude." Dean clapped him on the back.

Sam smiled wryly, "I think we are getting ahead of ourselves. First, we have to send thousands of demons back to Hell. Defeat a prince of Hell. Straighten out whatever the crap that is happening in Heaven is."

Dean grinned, "What can I say, Sammy? I'm the eternal optimist. Promise me that if we wade through this pile of crap and survive on the other end, you'll take your life and make it your own."

"And you and Cas?" Sam asked softly.

"What about me and Cas?"

"Will you settle down and make your life your own?" Sam searched Dean's face.

"Depends on Cas, which depends on Jack. If Cas stays, I could see myself settling down somewhere and just watching grass grow. If Cas goes, I don't know, Sam. I think I would have to go on hunting. Maybe I'll hang out with the cool kids in the bunker. I don't know how to make it without him? I almost didn't before." Dean groaned, "Oh my God, what a chick-flick moment. I'll be fine, Sam. I always am."

Sam hugged Dean and then walked to where Castiel was engraving another sigil to help him. Dean watched with a frown and turned to walk back to the bunker.

===========

Rowena approached Dean as he quietly drank a beer in the kitchen. "There you are, Dean. I was wondering where you had gotten off to."

"I'm always closest to the beer. What can I do for you?" Dean pointed to the chair across from him.

"I have a spell that can bind Asmodeus when we confront him. It shouldn't be too difficult to cast, but you'll be needing to distract him for a few minutes."

Dean stared at her through narrowed eyes, "You're going to help, just like that?"

Rowena stared through him. "I've been helping a long time, Dean, while you were lazing around kissing your boyfriend in a rock." 

Dean sighed, "Ok. What do we need? And what's the ingredient catch? There's always one ingredient that's a catch."

"We've got it all, Dean. You just need to distract him so I have time to cast it."

Dean nodded. "Rowena," he paused as he took another long draw on his beer, "what have you and Mom been up to the last forty years?"

Rowena sat down in the chair and contemplated Dean thoughtfully. "Do you really want to know? All of it?"

"Well, you can spare me any graphic details."

Rowena sighed, "Your mother acted as a woman possessed. She wanted to find a way to rescue you, boys. She was bargaining her soul to a demon when I caught up with her. I knew you boys wouldn't want that for her and I didn't think it was wise for her to talk to demons with Asmodeus being the one in charge. He's not sensible like Fergus. Fergus, for all his faults, never wanted to destroy the world. He wanted power, not destruction. Then, when he had it, he didn't quite know what to do with it. In a way, Fergus and I were a lot alike."

"Crowley has his moments. He killed people we cared for, but then he would save Cas' life. I never quite got him. But he was, in his way, honorable. I strangely miss him."

Rowena said softly, "Me too." She glanced away for a moment and then looked back, running her fingers through her hair. "I captured your mother with the intention to stop her from getting herself killed, mind you. But you know how hunters are about witches, and your mother never really warmed up to the likes of me."

"I understand that. You take some getting used to." Dean grinned at her.

"I had no intention of harming her at all. None. But she fought back a little too hard, and I had to take her down before she killed me. Casting a spell while a hunter is trying to stab you to death is a tricky business I'll have you know. I injured her, mortally injured her. The only way I could save her was to imbue her with part of my essence, my magic."

As terror filled Dean's eyes, Rowena reassured him, "She's not a zombie or anything like that. It's just your mother in there. That's all, but it linked us together. If we separate, it starts to hurt. It's like a little ache at first. But it grows over time. So, we adapted and met in the middle. She ignores my sometimes, little less than admirable qualities. In return, I help her save people, hunt things, blah, blah, the family business."

"Thank you for saving her even if you almost killed her," Dean said after a moment.

"I think she saved me back," Rowena smiled. "We bonded as mothers who lost their children. We hunted some monsters, terrorized the demons best we could, and tried to keep things contained. I'm a powerful witch, but against an army of demons, I'm outgunned."

Dean bit his bottom lip for a moment before asking bluntly, "Are you sleeping with my mother?"

"And if I am?" Rowena met his eyes, with her chin lifted.

Dean hesitated before saying, "Then, why the hell are you wasting one of the bedrooms? You could be sharing one." He smiled at her reluctantly. "I am so not calling you step-mom. Don't even think that."

"She was very hesitant to tell you about our relationship. She thought you'd be very upset with her."

Dean snorted, "Who am I to judge? I love a dorky, nerdy angel in a male vessel."

Rowena winked, "Fifth base?"

"I am so not talking to you about that. And you, no graphic details about Mom."

Rowena stood up to leave.

Dean grinned at her warmly, "Thank you, Rowena, for letting me know about the spell. That provides the answer for dealing with Asmodeus."

Rowena responded, "Of course, Dean. I will do my part if you get rid of the armies."

As she clattered across the floor in her high heels, Dean called out, "And make my mother happy!"

Rowena saluted him jauntingly, as she left the kitchen.

Dean regarded his beer and shook his head. "Son of a bitch."

=========================

As Dean cooked dinner, he could hear murmured voices in the library. He smiled softly. He sincerely liked everyone on their new team. Dean loved cooking for a group this large. He tasted his chili and grunted in approval.

On the counter opposite from the stove, Claire prepared a salad. She chopped vegetables with the precision of someone who had handled a knife for a long time. Claire said, "It's so weird. I've been on my own so long that I forgot about family stuff. This makes me miss Jody, Patience, Donna, and Alex."

"What's up next for you, Claire?" Dean turned to face her as the chili simmered.

"You mean if we make it through the demon army? I don't know. Back to regular hunting, I guess."

"Claire, you can always stay with me. No matter what happens, you'll always be my family," Dean said warmly. 

"And watch you and Cas make out all the time? No thanks," Claire grinned.

The smile fell from Dean's face, as he turned back to the chili. Claire's brows furrowed. "What's the matter, Dean?"

"Nothing. I'm fine," Dean stirred the pot.

"Like hell, you are, dumbass."

Dean snorted, "I'm not a dumbass, you're the dumbass."

Claire stared at him doggedly.

"It's nothing, Claire. Just… I think Cas is going to get involved in all the angel stuff now that he can fly. I barely got him back from being killed from Lucifer."

Claire crossed the room to him and put a hand on either shoulder. "He'll always return to you. He'll move Heaven, Hell, Earth, alternate universes, the stars, and the sun to come back to you."

Dean grinned at her, "You went through hell to get to us too."

"Family trait," Claire smirked.

A sudden yell startled them. Reya's voice called out, "I've got it. I know how to eject the demons from their hosts and send them to hell at once." 

Dean and Claire rushed to the library to see Reya hugging Tabbris. Jack stood nearby with a large grin. Reya grinned at Dean, "Jack figured out what the last Enochian passage that was giving me problems. An angel has to cast the spell, but I know the ingredients or it.

Sam and Lexie emerged from the hallway. Dean noted how mussed Sam's hair and grinned as he realized what they must have been up to. "How was your nap, Sammy?"

Sam shot Dean a bitch face before turning to Reya, "What do we need?"

"The scale from a wyvern, a fire stone, and the bone of a humble saint," Reya answered.

Dean rolled his eyes, "Why the hell do angel spells always involve weird shit? Where are we going to get this stuff?"

"I think we have a scale of a wyvern already, Dean," Sam answered. "It's among some of our Men of Letters artifacts."

Tabbris said, "I can retrieve the firestone. It's a piece of basalt from Al-Safa in Syria."

"And a humble saint?" Dean glanced around and noticed the other two angels were missing. "Where's Cas and Gabriel?"

Tabbris answered, "They left around a half hour ago."

"To go where?" Dean frowned.

"They didn't say," Rowena said, coming into the room. "They were talking in the hallway and mentioned Metatron. Then, they disappeared together."

Dean met Sam's eyes, "Could you see if you can find anything about a humble saint? I'm going to go see if I can figure out what Cas is doing."

=====================

Gabriel and Castiel entered the cavern cautiously. "Cassie, how did you do this without wings? And why can't we just fly into the chamber."

"With great difficulty. Remind me to someday tell you of my journeys to Syria to find the fruit from the Tree of Life. The cavern is warded to prevent us from flying in. Now, be quiet so we don't wake it." Water dripped from the ceiling of the cavern, while the walls gave off an odd blue glow.

Castiel and Gabriel crossed the cavern quietly until they reached a tunnel in the dark recesses of the cave. After walking through the tunnel for a minute, Gabriel piped up, "Can we talk yet?"

Castiel glanced over his shoulder at Gabriel, "Must we?"

"Why did you hide it here, Cassie?"

"Because I needed to be sure that he never got to it. I was banned from Heaven at that point. What would you have me do?" Castiel paused, motioning for Gabriel to stop. Castiel listened intently before entering another large cavern. The cavern had a high ceiling and mounds of gold coins and trinkets adorned the floor. Castiel stared at the large, reptilian form sleeping in the corner of the room. 

Gabriel exclaimed, "Holy, Smaug, it's a dragon! I haven't seen one of those in at least a millennium."

Castiel glared and hushed him. He motioned for Gabriel to stay where he was before he quietly crossed the room to a large boulder. He grimaced as the boulder made a scraping sound and froze, his eyes focused on the dragon. When the dragon failed to move, he sighed a breath of relief before moving the boulder the rest of the way. From a hole under the boulder, he pulled out a small box. He turned to return to the tunnel where Gabriel should be standing but wasn't. He blinked in confusion before turning his head to see Gabriel approaching the dragon instead of where he left him.

Castiel rolled his eyes and walked across the cavern quietly. He glanced back nervously at Gabriel. Usually, he didn't worry about Gabriel, but Gabriel still wasn't at full power. Castiel reached the tunnel and turned to try to motion Gabriel to join him. Gabriel paused to stare at the dragon. He then reached down and pulled up a gem from the ground. The dragon's eyelid lifted to show a large, pale green eye. Its nose quivered as it stared at Gabriel.

Gabriel said, "Hi, there. Don't mind me. I'm just your friendly, neighborhood archangel." Gabriel smiled hopefully at the dragon.

The dragon raised its head back, with its wings flapping and making a leathery sound. Castiel yelled, "Run!" 

Gabriel turned and ran towards the tunnel when a burst of flame erupted from the dragon. Gabriel dodged the licks of fire, but the pile of gold he ran across shifted and he fell, sprawled on the ground. Castiel sighed, stuck the box in his pocket, pulled out his angel blade, and charged. The dragon was rearing up to breathe flames towards Gabriel again, when Castiel yelled, "Hey, assbutt."

The dragon's head whipped around to face Castiel. It breathed flames at him, which Castiel dodged; however, the bottom of his trench coat caught on fire.

Gabriel scrambled back to his feet. He pulled out his angel blade and dived towards the dragon. He flew backward as the dragon's tail swung around and caught him in the abdomen. Castiel ignored the flames licking the hem of his coat as he arrived between the dragon's legs as it was landing on all four feet again. The dragon pinned Castiel under one of its feet. Castiel pulled back his arm and stabbed the dragon's foot with his angel blade. The dragon roared and gripped Castiel tighter. Castiel grimaced in pain as he felt its talons tearing into his body. Both blood and grace leaked from his body.

Gabriel regained his footing. Energy coalesced around his body, as he glowed blue with his wings flared behind him. His eyes sparked blue as he roared, "Enough, Gladrys."

The dragon faced him and then softly said, "Loki?"

"Yeah, it's me. Now, let go of my little brother."

"You touched my hoard," the dragon growled.

"I grabbed one little gem I could use in a spell. Would you begrudge me that? Remember that time in Norway that I saved you from that crazy Beowulf guy and his sidekick Wiglaf?"

The dragon reluctantly released Castiel from his talons, as he continued to glare at Gabriel.

Castiel stood up, shaking slightly. He could feel his body starting to heal, but he was still bleeding profusely and tendrils of grace seeped out of his wounds. Gabriel walked to Castiel and put his arm around him. He called over his shoulder to the dragon as he helped Castiel walk across the room, "We're even now, Gladrys. Next time, you can try to eat me."

The dragon huffed as it watched them leave the tunnel. After they were around the corner from the dragon, Gabriel healed Castiel's wounds as best he could. Dragon claws, much like angel blades, could affect grace.

Gabriel squinted at the injuries concerned, "Tell me at least got what we came for?"

Castiel grinned as he pulled the box out of his pocket. He opened it to show a blue glowing vial within it. "Yes, Metatron's grace. The last ingredient we need to lockdown Heaven."

"And here I thought you were going to be romantic and go all human for Dean by giving up your grace," Gabriel smirked.

Castiel stared at him confused, "How would I protect him if I were human?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes, "Never mind, Romeo. Let's blow this burg."

====================

The bunker was dark when Gabriel and Castiel returned. Castiel padded to Dean's room and opened the door gently. The bedside lamp bathed the room in a soft light and revealed Dean sitting on the bed with a beer in his hand and listening to music through his headphones. Dean's eyes were unfocused as he stared at the ceiling.

Castiel entered the room before shutting the door quietly behind him. Dean's eyes caught the movement and slid off his headphones. "You're back." Dean looked at Castiel's bloody and burnt clothes. "And you're hurt?"

"No, Gabriel healed me. I'm fine for the most part. I'll just fix these in the morning." Castiel shrugged off his trench coat and jacket and then removed his dress shirt. He sighed as he fingered the burnt edges along the bottom of the trench coats. Dean watched him undress until Castiel only had his boxers remaining and licked his lips. Castiel nodded at the bed, "May I?"

"Uh, sure." Dean slid out of bed and pulled the covers back. Castiel climbed into the bed. "So, what almost killed you this time?"

"Dragon."

"What the hell? Why did you go fight a dragon?" Dean glared at him.

"I hid Metatron's grace in its lair. I figured as a human, Metatron would never be able to fight a dragon to retrieve his grace. It seemed like a good idea at the time." Castiel closed his eyes. He was exhausted from the wounds the dragon inflicted on him, and he wanted to meditate and sleep for a while.

"And you didn't take me because why?"

Castiel opened one eye and looked at Dean frowning, "My intention was not to fight the dragon. I had snuck past it once before, I was attempting to do it again. Gabriel, on the other hand, did not share the same convictions."

Dean shrugged out of his flannel shirt and jeans. He laid on the bed next to Castiel and turned off the light. He said quietly, "I thought maybe you and Gabriel went off to face the angels without telling us."

"I would not do that to you. I didn't mean to distress you. I thought I would be back before you finished dinner, but Gabriel slowed me down." Castiel faced Dean and traced his profile in the dark with his finger.

"Now, that you have your wings, just please promise me you won't go off on your own to take care of Heaven. I need you."

Castiel held Dean close, "If given a choice, I would never leave your side. You know that. I just have a responsibility…"

Dean put his finger on Castiel's lips to silence him. "I know you do. And I know you'll leave. And I know you'll come back. And I know I'll hurt like hell while you are gone. I denied how I felt a long time to try to prevent the pain of losing you. Then, Lucifer killed you and I realized I'd be lost even if I never told you. I tried to stop myself because I know relationships don't work in our line of work, but I can't help falling in love with you."

Castiel leaned his head against Dean's chest. "I love you too."


	17. Halo

After breakfast the next day, Dean called for a team meeting in the war room. "Ok, guys. We've been working individually on things, now it's time to bring everything together. Here's the list of things we need. Whoever has that piece put it on the table. First, the spell to close the gates of hell. Hellhound blood?"

"Check," Sam said, as he put a vial on the table.

Dean nodded, "The blood of an innocent saved from Hell."

Gabriel scrunched his nose as he put a vial of blood on the table, "There you go, Dean-o."

Dean checked it off his list. "Now, a blood of a cured demon." He sighed as he placed a vial of his blood on the table. "Now, the written spell."

Reya placed a scroll on the table. 

Dean nodded, as he said. "We have all of that one." Sam gathered the ingredients and put them in a box.

Dean checked the second list. "Now, the spell to close the gates of Heaven. A cupid's arrow." 

Castiel placed the disk on the table, "There you go, Dean."

Dean checked it off his list. "Ok, the blood of a Nephilim."

Jack smiled as he put a vial on the table. "I'm happy to contribute." Dean smiled at him warmly as he checked off the item.

"Grace of an angel?" Castiel stepped forward and put the vial with Metatron's grace on the table. Dean nodded at Castiel before continuing, "Written spell?"

Reya pulled out another parchment and placed it on the table. Dean smiled, "And that's all for that one." Sam pulled out a different box and placed the ingredients within it.

Dean nodded, "Okay, we need two sets for the last spell, so we can blast the demons at two different locations. So, wyvern scales?"

Claire placed two on the table, separated by a few inches. "Found those in Bunker storage."

Dean nodded, "Great. Now, the firestones?"

Tabbris placed two rocks on the table and stepped back.

"The bone of a humble saint?" Nobody stepped forward, Dean looked around. "Son of a bitch. We're missing."

Gabriel smirked, "Not to fear, Gabriel is here." He disappeared with a rustling noise.

Castiel said dryly, "Apparently, he is no longer here." Castiel surrounded the here with air quotes. 

Sam said, "I tried, Dean, but I couldn't find anything in the lore." Lexie nodded, "We both looked."

A fluttering of wings accompanied Gabriel's arrival back at the bunker. "I give you two metacarpals from one Rosanna Negusanti. A woman who became known in Italy as Saint Humilitas; otherwise known as Saint Humility." Gabriel put the bones on the table and then summoned a lollipop.

Dean smiled, "Thanks, Gabe. And finally copies of the spells." Reya placed them on the table. Sam separated the ingredients into two separate boxes. He labeled the boxes.

Dean looked at Rowena. "You got the stuff for binding Asmodeus?"

Rowena nodded. "I'm ready for him."

Mary asked, "So now what?"

Castiel spoke up, "First, Tabbris, Gabriel, and I will talk to the angels and offer them our aid in destroying the demons. If we are successful, we won't have to fight on two fronts. Assuming that is successful, we would have their aid in defeating the demons."

Dean frowned, "Let's assume that it doesn't work. It never works well when you guys talk to angels."

"If that doesn't work," Gabriel supplied, "We take out the demons first and then take out the angels."

Castiel said, "We have to do the center of both demonic cities at the same time or they will be expecting us and figure out how to avoid the explosion."

Dean frowned remembering Reya's vision. "I think we should stick together."

Gabriel shook his head, "That will let the second army of demons have time to prepare."

Dean looked at them stubbornly.

Castiel sighed, "Gabriel and I are soldiers, Dean."

"So, how do we divide up then?"

Sam cleared his throat, "I've been thinking about that, Dean. My idea is that you, Jack, Castiel, and Claire take on Las Vegas, while Gabriel, Tabby, Rowena, Mom, and I take care of Los Angeles. Lexie and Reya provide communication support from the bunker."

Reya protested, "Hey…"

Tabbris looked at her, "We cannot risk either the demons or angels getting their hands on you."

Reya frowned. Lexie nudged her, "We can take care of the home base. It will be fine. They need us to monitor both groups in case one of them gets in trouble."

Dean glared at Sam, "You realize that you just exactly described Reya's vision about the battlefield."

"It makes sense, Dean. Gabriel and Jack are the two most powerful of us, so one of them on each team. Castiel and Tabby on separate teams, because angels need to cast the spell. Each team has two hunters. Rowena goes to LA because that is where Asmodeus mostly likely is, so she can take him out," Sam explained patiently.

Gabriel said soothingly, "I'll take care of your little bro, Dean, and you take care of mine."

"I don't like it," Dean muttered. "Sam and I should be together."

Mary snapped, "Dean, you know it makes sense. Stop being stubborn."

Dean glared and walked out of the room.

Sam sighed, "He'll do it, Mom. He just needs to sulk for a while."

====================================

An hour later, Castiel found Dean in the garage working on the Impala. Castiel said gruffly, "Hello, Dean."

Dean pulled his head out from under the hood of the Impala. "Hey, Cas."

Castiel stared intently at Dean as if memorizing his face. "Gabriel, Tabbris, and I are going to Heaven to try to talk to the angels. I told you I wouldn't leave without telling you first."

Dean stood motionless for a moment. He then walked over and wrapped his arms around Castiel and buried his face in his shoulder, "You just come back, dammit."

"I always come back to you," Castiel smiled gently.

"Until the time you don't," Dean muttered.

"I'll be back." Castiel pulled back and turned away. Dean nodded and watched Castiel as he walked out of the garage.

====================================

Gabriel, Tabbris, and Castiel flew to one of the common gathering areas near Naomi's old offices. Angels stopped at gawked at them. Castiel looked around at Heaven for the first time he'd been able to fly back in years. He frowned at how the white walls looked stained and dirty.

An angel he recognized as a former keeper in the garden asked, "Castiel?"

Castiel nodded, "I'm back. Gabriel is with me and Tabbris. We want to offer our aid in removing the demons that are plaguing you."

"That can't really be Gabriel. All of the archangels are dead," a former cherub said. She was now dressed in the clothes of a soldier.

Castiel looked concerned, "Why are you not doing your assigned duties?"

"Anael reassigned cherubs to be soldiers. We are running low on…"

Anael's voice cut through the crowd, "That is enough. You are not invited here. You have all fallen."

Gabriel interrupted, "Excuse me, sister. I didn't fall. I'm an archangel and I'm back to fix this joint."

Anael glared at him through narrowed eyes, "Don't be tricked by this trickster. He's a creature that the Nephilim created to try to deceive us and lower our guard." She growled some words in Enochian and Gabriel was bathed in a green light. "See, the spell reveals him as a fraud."

Gabriel looked down, "What the hell?"

Tabbris called out, "He is Gabriel. We rescued him from where Lucifer had caged him in Hell."

Anael glared at her, "And why should we believe you? You stole our prophet from us for your own gain. Your own power."

The angels started murmuring among themselves.

Castiel looked around, "She deceives you. She brought Lucifer back to you, but she was so false, even Lucifer knew she wasn't to be trusted."

A tall, blonde angel retorted, "You, Castiel, have driven our kind to near extinction. Why should we trust you?"

Castiel said through gritted teeth, "Our mission was to protect humanity. But we keep forgetting that…"

Gabriel's wings flared out and his eyes sparked, "I don't know what crap Anael is giving you, but it's total crap. She's just some second-rate button pusher…"

Anael yelled, "Enough." A bolt of light cascaded from her hand, hitting Tabbris in the stomach. Tabbris stumbled to her knees. Castiel pulled out his angel blade.

"Brothers, we are simply here to offer our help to defeat the demons. None of us claim any part of Heaven. We only want to take out a mutual enemy."

Anael snarled, "You need us, Castiel. We do not need you or your false archangel."

Two angels rushed Castiel with their angel blades drawn, "Duma, Ingrid. There's no need for this. Ask Anael what has happened to the prophets before Reya."

"Tabbris killed them, just as she took Reya away when knew we were suspicious of her. She wants the power of the tablets for herself. Do I have a prophet now?" Anael growled.

Tabbris started to stagger to her feet, grace pouring from a wound in her stomach. "That is a lie. You killed them to rebuild the angel tablet. You want to take up where Metatron left off."

Gabriel strode towards Anael, but two angels intercepted him. Duma engaged Castiel, while Ingrid attacked Tabbris. Gabriel reached out towards one of the angels and placed his hand on her forehead, with a flare of light she collapsed at her feet asleep. Anael shot another burst of energy from her hand and knocked Gabriel back. Gabriel gritted his teeth as he waded towards her energy towards her, "You cannot defeat an archangel with regular Enochian magic or a regular angel blade." Anael's other guard rushed Gabriel from the side. 

Anael focused her energy at Gabriel to slow him down, while she glanced towards the others. Castiel and Duma dueled with their angel blades in a closely contested battle that left both with an assortment of cuts and slashes. Tabbris, already injured, was slowly fading in her fight with Ingrid. Anael muttered, "I may not be able to hurt you, but I can hurt them."

She turned to focus her energy on Tabbris, who went down as Ingrid stabbed her deeply in the side. Castiel looked where Tabbris cried out in alarm, as Duma managed to stab him in the upper chest. Gabriel smote the angel that attacked him. He glared at Anael, as he threw Duma and Ingrid from Tabbris and Castiel. He touched them and the three of them disappeared.

Duma looks at Anael, "Was that really Gabriel?"

Anael looked at Duma, "Could I have defeated him if he was really Gabriel?"

"I suppose not, but you didn't defeat him really. He went to save…" Duma trailed off as Anael shot her a scathing glare. "Of course, he isn't, Anael. He was a creation of the Nephilim."

"That is what you will tell the others. Understand?"

The others agreed, and Anael dismissed them, deep in thought.

====================

Sam, Mary, Dean, and Claire were talking about tactics for taking on the demon armies in the war room when a sudden strong wind pummeled them. The overhead lights flickered and exploded as Gabriel appeared in the room with Castiel and Tabbris prone at his feet. Gabriel growled, "A little help here, guys."

Dean's eyes focused on Castiel as he stood up from his chair and lurched his way. Gabriel said, "You and Sam try to bandage him to keep any more of his grace from leaking out while I try to save Tabbris." Reya and Lexie appeared from the library door. Reya put her hand over her mouth in horror.

Sam ran for the first-aid kit, while Dean held his hand on the stab wound on Castiel's chest. Blue grace continued to seep around his hand. 

Gabriel held his hand over Tabbris stomach glowing with a blue intensity. He muttered, "I didn't want to hurt any of the angels. I should have just blasted Anael and then this would have been over." Tabbris laid perfectly still, looking lifeless.

Jack offered, "Can I help?"

Gabriel looked at him. "Get the angel tablet, Jack." Jack turned to head to the library.

Sam arrived back with the first aid kit. Dean fished out dental floss and a needle. He started trying to thread the frayed corners of the injury back together. Castiel's eyes flew open and he looked deeply into Dean's eyes. Dean paused a moment and choked back a response before starting sewing the wound again.

When Jack returned with the angel tablet, Gabriel placed one hand on it while holding the other hand over Tabbris. He muttered, "Close your eyes." A bright blue light engulfed the room for a minute and a force emanated from the angel tablet. Gabriel and Jack were thrown back into the wall. The color started to return to Tabbris' face. Reya ran and knelt next to her, "Tabby?"

Tabbris opened her eyes and said slowly, "Hello, Reya."

Dean called over, "Gabe, can you help me now?"

"Need a minute, Dean-o. Keep working on him," Gabriel said shakily.

Castiel gasped with pain as the needle went through his flesh again. Dean murmured, "I'm sorry, babe."

Jack knelt on the other side. "What can I do?"

Castiel weakly took one of Jack's hands and said quietly, "Tell me about your favorite movie?"

"The Empire Strikes Back. Luke never knew his father, but he knew he would be nothing like him. He loved his friends more than Anakin. You remind me of Obi-wan, Father. Dean reminds me of Han Solo."

Dean snorted softly while continuing to patch Castiel up, "That would make Sammy, Chewbacca?"

"In this story, yes. Chewbacca is like a blood brother to Han. They fly the Millennium Falcon together. And Claire is like Leia, my sister. But, I don’t think Han and my sister would get together in our version."

Claire let out a squeak. "No."

Castiel said weakly, "That's ok. Han belongs to me." He closed his eyes and sighed. Dean stiffened up and put his hand in front of Castiel's mouth to check if he was still breathing. After felt a breath, he relaxed and continued sewing. Dean finished patching up the wound and started to clean Castiel's less serious injuries.

After a moment, Gabriel stood up and staggered over to Castiel. He placed his hand over his head and it glowed briefly. 

Gabriel looked at Sam blearily. "I've done what I can for him. Help me to my room?" Sam picked up Gabriel and carried him to his room. He laid him down on the bed and took the chair next to him. 

"So, Sasquatch-kins. I'm sorry that was a shit pile wrapped up in a taco," Gabriel muttered. "I didn't really want to hurt my brothers and sisters. I will not make that mistake again. It almost cost us Cas and Tabby because I tried to be Mr. Nice Guy."

"We wanted to try, Gabe. We all should just know better by now."

"I'm taking Anael out," Gabriel grumbled. Sam put his hand on Gabriel's arm and sat with him until Gabriel fell asleep.

=============================

When Tabbris opened her eyes, she saw Reya looked down at her concerned. She pivoted her head slightly to take in her surroundings. She was laying in Reya's bed with her head in Reya's lap. Reya stroked her hair. 

Tabbris said quietly, "That did not go as planned."

"That's an understatement. You scared the hell out of me. When Gabriel brought you home, I thought you were dead. He had to use the angel tablet to heal you. Your life force was halfway to the Empty according to Jack. Don't you dare die on me."

Tabbris smiled weakly, "Leaving you isn't my intent."

"Don't ever do that again!" Tears started to stream down Reya's cheeks.

Tabbris tried to push herself up but groaned and collapsed back down on the bed. "I'm fine, Reya. I'm just a little tired."

Reya gently lifted up Tabbris' head and scooted her knee out from under. She slid down on the bed and laid next to Tabbris. "Everything has been so crazy. The one thing, the only thing, that has been keeping me sane throughout the weird rollercoaster is you. You're all I have. I can handle being the prophet. I can handle being in this weird place with King Arthur's delusional knights on quests for holy grails. I can't be without you."

"My life has certainly changed since I met you," Tabbris smiled.

"Oh, Tabby. I think I've ruined yours. I apparently was doomed by destiny to be a prophet. You chose to fall to save me."

"I did what was right. You asked me for nothing."

Reya put her arm gently around Tabbris, "I'm asking for you for something now. Please don't die. I love you, Tabby." Tabbris stared at Reya. After a moment, Reya started to fidget. She finally said, "You don't have to say it back. I mean, I know you're an angel and I'm a human."

"No, no. That is not it. I am just wondering what I have done to deserve you. I'm quite an ordinary angel, and you are extraordinary human. Chosen. Special. I have feelings, I do not know what to call them. I am sad when I'm not with you but filled with emotion when I come back. I'm scared something will happen to you. I can watch you endlessly when you are asleep because you are one of God's most beautiful creations."

Reya felt overwhelmed by the praise, "Um. That sounds like love, Tabby." Reya kissed her gently. Tabbris responded first gingerly, then passionately.

======================

Castiel sat on the edge of the bed wearing only a pair of sweatpants when Dean entered the bedroom. His shoulder was still bandaged, and he stared at the ground deep in thought.

"You okay, Cas?" Dean knelt in front of the floor in front of Castiel and looked up.

"I'm fine, Dean." Castiel murmured looking into Dean's eyes.

"Fine, like when humans say they are fine and aren't? Or really okay?" Dean took Castiel's hand.

"The former. I don't know why I thought they would be different this time. I thought with Gabriel that they might be less like dicks and might want to work together."

"Anael wants power. She used Lucifer to get the lead job and now she wants to keep it."

Castiel sighed, "I know. It's not like I wasn't power hungry the short time I was in the driver's seat in Heaven."

"That was different. First, you were trying to avert the apocalypse. Secondly, you had Leviathans in your intestines. You wanted the best for humanity, even when you were at your worse." Dean kissed Castiel's hand.

"Anael is trying to stop the demons."

Dean snorted, "By turning humans into her army."

"She has no choice," Castiel responded. "Would I have behaved any differently in the same position?"

"Would you have killed the prophets to figure out how to unlock their powers?"

Castiel looked affronted, "Of course not. I always tried to do what I thought God would want, I just failed miserably."

"And there, my friend, is the difference. Every time you screwed up it was to help Heaven, or me, or humanity, or Sam, or Jack, or someone else. Anael is in it for power's sake."

"I'm always so stupid," Castiel huffed.

"What was it said you said to me once. Yeah, you were stupid, but for all the right reasons. And that is sometimes all that counts."

The corner of Castiel's mouth quirked up, "No fair using my words against me."

"All's fair in love and war, sweetheart." Dean stood up and gently pushed Castiel back ono the bed. He shrugged off his shirt and jeans and crawled into bed next to Castiel. Dean kissed Castiel tenderly, but Castiel didn't respond. Dean asked softly, "What's the matter, Cas?" He rubbed his thumb across Castiel's cheek and was alarmed to feel tears.

"We have to lock the doors to Heaven because they won't cooperate. I don't want to be on the wrong side of the doors when they lock. I don't want to lose this…us… I don't want to be the one who must sacrifice everything this time. It's incredibly selfish." Castiel whispered.

"Nothing will keep us apart."

=============================

Rowena stood at the table in her bedroom mixing ingredients together as Mary entered the room. For once, she was dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt and was barefoot. Her hair was drawn up in a ponytail and her face makeup free.

Mary said softly, "Need help?" She stood beside Rowena looking at the table. Without her heels, the top of Rowena's head barely reached Mary's shoulder.

"I'm getting the spell ready for Asmodeus. It will bind him and make him lose his abilities. The others can finish him off."

"I'll gladly be the one that does it," Mary smiled.

Rowena looked up at her, "You are always so fierce, love." Rowena added some more ingredients to the concoction.

"What do you need to do to cast it?"

"It will be in an object. When I break the object, he'll be neutralized. The trick is I have to be within about twenty feet of him, give or a take a bit. You and the boys will need to distract them."

"Maybe Gabriel can fly you within a few feet of him?"

"Ach, I'm sure he'll be in an area warded against that. But, we'll figure it out. We always do." She paused, "I told Dean about us. Rather, he pestered and harangued me until I gave in and satisfied his curiosity."

Mary froze, "Was he upset?"

"Didn't seem to be. I think having an angel boyfriend has mellowed him." Rowena winked at her.

"I always knew he and Cas would get together. You should have seen him when he introduced him to me. I could tell that for Dean, the sun and moon revolved around his angel," Mary laughed.

"I'm noticing Sam likes Lexie too."

Mary laughed, "He likes her too. Very much I think."

"Well then, let's hope everything goes well. I'd like for everyone to get a happy ending for once." Rowena gave a sidelined glance at Mary, "We've got this. But, don’t' be a bloody hero, love."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

=====================

Claire sat alone in the darkened library, drinking a beer. Jack came out of the shadows and sat across from her. Claire looked up at him, "Shouldn't you be asleep, nougat?"

"I don't sleep much. I thought Father was going to die today." Jack looked concerned.

"If he doesn't almost die, it's not a Thursday." Claire cracked a smile. Jack looked confused at her, with his brows furrowed. "The angels don't like him, Jack. They never will."

"None of them?"

Claire shrugged, "Tabbris and Gabriel do. I think some of the other angels still as well, but Cas… He loved humanity more than Heaven. He's a major part of the reason that there are so few angels now."

"Lucifer told me I should go rebuild Heaven. That was the last thing he requested of me."

"They think you can make new angels. Cas told me that. They want you to replenish Heaven. That's why they hunt you so hard."

Jack tilted his head at her. "Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"I'm the wrong person to ask."

"Why?"

Claire laughed grimly, "Because I lost both of my parents to angels. I know my dad willingly gave Castiel his body, but my dad got disintegrated when Castiel died the first time. His soul is in Heaven. My mom was killed by a Gregori angel."

"My mother died to have me. Lucifer died protecting me from Michael. So, in a way, I guess both of my parents were killed by angels too." Jack frowned.

"Cas saved the world though. Several times. Gabriel is kind of cool in his own way and I really like Tabbris. If more of the angels were like them, it would be cool."

Jack nodded. "So, it's not angels that are necessarily bad."

Claire put down the beer and looked intently at Jack, "They do take care of Heaven. And that's a good thing, Jack. Everyone up there is taken care of by angels. It's not all rainbows and unicorns, but I know my mom and dad are up there together. Jody is up there. Cherubim help people find their one true love, corny but true. There's a lot of good potential in Heaven, but it's just been corrupted for my entire life and probably before."

"Lucifer said that family needed me." Jack squinted into the darkened room.

Claire hesitated, "I think they might, Jack. If you go to heaven, though, Castiel will insist on accompanying you."

Jack stared at her in confusion.

"Jack, Castiel will go to Heaven and leave Dean. Alone. Cas and Dean don't deserve to be separated. Cas promised your mom that he'd take care of you. Now, I know in the grand scheme of things, the happiness of one angel and man probably doesn't amount up to a hill of beans. We all sacrifice for the greater good, yadda yadda yadda. Dean and Cas though -- they deserve a life together after all of this is over. They have fought so long and so hard for all of us. Now, I'm not asking you to base your decision on what you do on that; I'm just asking you not to forget them." Claire tousled Jack's hair. "You have such a great burden on your shoulders, kid, and you are hardly old enough to shave."

Jack sighed, "I'll consider what you said carefully."

"You do what you need to do, Jack. I'll help you any way that I can. We all will." Claire reached down and hugged Jack.

"Thank you."

Claire drained her beer and headed down the hallway to her bedroom.


	18. Swords and Sorcery

After breakfast the next morning, Dean summoned everyone together again. Tabbris and Castiel both seemed to have recovered from their injuries the previous day.

Reya, Lexie, Claire, and Jack sat at a table, while Mary and Rowena leaned against a pillar next to each other. Sam and Dean stood in front of a corkboard with two maps on it. Castiel stood slightly behind Dean with his arms crossed, while Tabbris stood behind Reya. Gabriel sat on a chair in a corner, amusing himself by shooting spitballs at Sam.

Sam glared at Gabriel, as Dean began.

"Okay, we have two targets. Las Vegas and Los Angeles."

Castiel murmured, "Ironic that the city of angels is full of demons. Not as ironic for sin city to be." Dean glared at him over his shoulder. Castiel went quiet.

Dean continued, "We need to cast the banishment spells as the core of each city, and they'll radiate outward. That means we'll need to fight our way in because there are anti-angel sigils weaved into the construction of the city. Gabriel thinks he has the mojo to take those down in Los Angeles once he's on the ground there. Which leaves the one in Las Vegas."

Gabriel popped up, "Not to fear, Gabe is here. Or rather, this gem that I so helpfully procured from a mutual dragon acquaintance." Gabriel pulled a gem from the air and tossed it to Castiel. "It's a tear of an elder god. It should be able to amplify Cassie to be strong enough to take down the sigils from a distance. Don't say I didn't give you anything kid."

Castiel looked at the stone curiously before placing it in his pocket.

"Ok, that will take care of that hopefully," Dean said.

"Now, Sam thinks that Jack, Cas, Claire, and me should take on Las Vegas. While he takes on Los Angeles, and potentially Asmodeus, with Gabriel's, Tabby, Rowena's, and Mom's help. I'm not a fan of this idea…"

Sam interrupted, "But it's the one that makes the most sense."

"Granted, so it's the one we'll do. But I don't like it. And remember Reya's vision, so everyone has to be on their A game." He paused, "And don't let Sam get impaled on a spear or I'll kick your ass."

Gabriel looked at Dean, "I won't let anything hurt a single luscious lock on his pretty little head. He's too pretty."

Dean rolled his eyes, while Lexie looked startled at Gabriel. Sam frowned. 

Dean asked, "Any questions?" When nobody said anything, Dean continued, "Get your weapons ready and that body armor stuff that Claire got for us. Don't forget your headsets so we can keep in contact. Be ready to roll at 8 tonight."

Dean turned and walked out of the room. Castiel followed him to his room. Dean sat heavily on the bed and sighed. He turned to Castiel, "Remember the night that we went to fight Lucifer in Carthage? Ellen, me, you, Sam, and Jo? This feels like that and it didn't end well. We lost Ellen and Jo for nothing."

Castiel sighed quietly, "What the hell were we doing thinking the Colt will kill Lucifer? We were so stupid back then."

Dean snorted, "Not sure we're much smarter now, Cas. This could go wrong in so many ways."

Sam rapped on the door. "Can I come in?"

"Course, Sammy. Pull up the chair," Dean welcomed him.

"You two need a moment?" Castiel looked between them.

"No, Cas. You stay. You're my brother too," Sam went quiet for a moment. "I just want a promise from the both of you. If something happens to me, you two go live your lives. Don't try any crazy things to save me and cause the apocalypse after this one. I promise to do the same. We just end this, tonight. And if we are still around tomorrow, we reboot our lives."

Castiel frowned slightly, "We have to take out Anael too."

Sam sighed, "Ok. After that."

Dean said, "There will always be an after that."

Sam growled, "This is where I'm drawing a line in the sand. No more after that. The world lasted without us for forty years, and it will again. We're done."

"No arguments from me, Sammy. I'm old and I'm tired," Dean answered softly.

Castiel said, "I certainly have no urge to do anything more. The only mission I have now is to take care of my family, here, in this bunker."

Sam stood up, leaned over and hugged Dean. "You come back alive, jerk."

Dean answered, "I'm not the one that got speared in a vision, bitch. You be careful."

Sam hugged Castiel, "Cas."

Castiel hugged him back with a wry smile, "How many times have we done this before? Our last night on earth speech to each other."

"Too damn many," Dean answered. As Sam walked out of the room, Dean called out after him, "You, me, and Cas. We're just better together."

As Sam passed Lexie's room, he could hear a Journey song playing. He knocked gently on her door. Lexie opened it, her face shown the signs of obvious tears. Sam enveloped her in his arms as he sang softly with the song about not to stop believing. He pulled her gently into the room and closed the door. They swayed back and forth to the song, dancing and holding one another. Sam tipped her chin up, so he could kiss her. "Lexie, I'm going to ask you something I've not asked a girl in over 20 years. Well, over 60 really."

"What?"

"When I get back, I'd like to go on a date with you. Movies, dinner, and a walk in the moonlight?" Sam kissed her forehead.

"Yes, that sounds wonderful," she murmured.

Sam grinned, "It's a date then. I know this all seems so dark and foreboding, but we've been here before and we manage to find a way. We will find a way. Gabriel gathered enough rations to last a long time, so if we are gone for a while, you and Reya will have everything you need to stay safely in here. But, I promise I'll be back. We always find a way."

Lexie responded, "I'll hold you to that."

========

Jack walked into Dean's room, where Dean and Castiel were talking quietly on the bed. "I think I am ready. Tabbris thinks I should take the angel tablet, but I'm not sure I should."

Dean responded, "Take it. It saved us last time."

Jack stared at the ground uneasily, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how to put it into words. 

"What's the matter, Jack?" Castiel asked.

"I’m worried. Last time, I froze us for forty years. What if something goes wrong this time? What if I do something wrong?"

Castiel looked at Jack, "How did you know what to do last time?"

"I just felt it. At that moment, I knew I had to stop the rift and the angels from coming through," Jack looked at Castiel.

"I have every faith that you will know what to do this time too. When the time comes, you'll know what to do. You saved the world last time," Castiel assured him

Jack nodded, still looking uncertain.

Dean said, "I have faith in you, Jack. In us. We'll figure it out."

Jack nodded. Dean patted the bed next to him. "Come here, son. Let's just hang out for a bit before we have to go. I've got a Scooby Doo movie on this old laptop."

Jack crawled on the bed next to them. They spent the next hour watching television together.

===================

Tabbris and Reya stood outside staring at the clouds. Reya pointed to a cloud, "That one is an octopus."

Tabbris stared at her, "No, that's a cumulous cloud."

"But it's shaped like an octopus."

Tabbris stared at the cloud again. She squinted and tilted her head. "I think I might see what you are talking about. Those look somewhat like tentacles."

Reya looked at her in triumph. "I told you clouds had shapes."

"They don't have animal shapes because they are composed of many individual particles over three dimensions. Humans have the innate desire to make patterns out of everything."

"That's just the way we roll," Reya smiled. "Thanks for hanging outside with me for a little bit. I’m usually an outside person, but lately…"

"You were so focused on the tablet that you didn't want to distract with any frivolity." 

"Thank you, Tabby."

"For?" She looked at Reya quizzically.

"For saving me, rebelling, fighting, and for being patient with me even when I get snappy."

"I…love you," Tabbris said hesitantly. "Heaven will not like that, but I cannot help it."

"Love is love, Tabby. Whether it is two women, two men, an angel and a human, a witch and a hunter, whatever. It's all love." Reya beamed at her. "I love you too."

"Well, we can't make Nephilim because of the gender of my vessel. So, I don't think we are in danger of destroying the world."

Reya snorted, "Jack is a sweetie."

Tabbris squinted, "I think Heaven needs to reassess its neurotic view of Nephilim; however, I don't think we should create them…willy-nilly. They could be quite destructive."

"Promise me that you'll come back," Reya asked.

"I can't promise you that. There will be thousands of demons and a prince of hell versus an archangel, a witch, an angel, and two hunters. The odds are not good." Tabbris paused at Reya's stricken look. "Oh, this is the part where I'm supposed to assure you that everything will be all right even though the probability of that is extremely low." She stared at Reya intently. "One time an archangel, a Nephilim, an angel, and two hunters took out an entire army of angels and managed to survive. They saved the world. Another time, an angel and two hunters tossed two archangels into a cage and saved the world. As Castiel said, humans, especially Winchesters, tend to exceed expectations." Tabbris smiled reassuringly.

"I'm counting on it. Now, kiss me."

Tabbris obliged.

============

Claire joined Rowena and Mary where they were waiting in the library. Mary was cleaning her gun, while Rowena fingered a glowing purple gem. Claire looked at her curiously.

"It's for the spell to bind Asmodeus," Rowena said. "I'll just need the others to give me a wee window of opportunity and he'll be gone."

"Nothing ever goes as planned," Claire's sighed.

Mary paused and looked at Claire. "I'm sorry, Claire."

"For what?" Claire said as she put her feet up on the table. Outwardly, she looked calm, while inside she was a seething mass of nerves and tensions.

"For not thinking about the impact of me disappearing might have had on Jody. I'm sorry I didn't check on you. I should have stayed in contact after I lost the boys. I just wanted to put everything that reminded me of them behind me."

"Except for Rowena?" Claire asked placidly.

"Well, we got kind of stuck together. And we both lost our sons."

"It's fine. Jody had us still. She just… She just felt like she let the boys down when she couldn't find you. The boys had asked her to look out for you. But, it's all good. Jody is probably in Heaven saying she's going to kick you in the ass whenever you make it up there."

Claire stood up. "Be back in a bit." Claire walked over to the hallway and made a call. Mary could hear Claire's part of the conversation.

"Hey, Alex, it's me." Claire paused as she waited for Alex to finish saying something. From what Mary could tell, the exchange was heated. "I know. I know. Sam and Dean are fine. Yeah, Dean looks like he did the last time we saw him. Castiel too." Claire waited while Alex talked some more. "Alex, hold on. I just called… Well, some serious shit is going down and I just want you to know… I love you and miss you. I'm sorry that I haven't been better about staying in contact. You know how I am." Claire walked further down the hallway where Mary couldn't hear her any longer.

Mary looked at Rowena, "I have so many regrets."

Rowena looked at her, "You canna change the past, sweets. You can only change the present. You've told me that many times."

"Yeah, did it finally sink in?" The corner of Mary's mouth quirked out.

"On your worst day, you probably were only as bad as one percent of my worst day, love. Do I need to remind you I once tried to trade Fergus for three pigs?" Rowena grimaced. "You would not trade your sons for anything."

Mary finished cleaning her gun and loaded it. "I'm ready."

Tabbris and Reya opened the door of the bunker with a clang and came down the stairs. Tabbris said quietly, "It is almost eight o'clock."

Rowena nodded and stood up, "That it is." Instead of Rowena's usual gown, she was dressed in lightweight armor and low-heeled boots. She looked tiny compared to Mary. Mary was dressed in her usual combat gear of a green jacket, a flannel shirt, jeans, and boots.

Claire joined them again. "I'm ready." She had two handguns strapped to her waist, a taser in her front jacket pocket, and a machete in her hand. She wore lightweight armor similar to Rowena but had a multi-pocket, green jacket over it.

Sam and Lexie walked in with Sam's arm casually draped over Lexie's shoulder. He stood quietly next to his mother, looking down at Lexie as if he was trying to memorize her face. She snuggled closer to him.

Gabriel bounced into the room, "Okay, ladies and germs. Time to get this road on the show…this show on the road… And what not. Asmodeus is going to end tonight." A spark lit in his eyes and energy shimmered around him. Where's Dean-o and Cas? Are they canoodling in their room again instead of getting their asses in gear? Someone got a camera? We should take pictures."

Dean walked into the room and rapped Gabriel lightly on the back of his head. "Nope. Not going to do porn for you."

Gabriel waggled his eyebrows, "So you admit, porn is happening?"

Dean rolled his eyes.

Castiel and Jack walked into the room last. Jack was dressed in a set of blue metallic armor and a dark brown trench coat over it. Castiel stood next to him in his usual tan trench coat.

Dean looked around the room. His eyes met Sam's and he nodded at him reassuringly. Dean started, "I'm not big on speeches. So, I'll make this brief. When dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom."

Sam scoffed at him, "Dude, Braveheart again?"

Dean smirked at him, "It's a classic, bitch."

Sam retorted, "Jerk."

"And don't you forget it," Dean smiled at him.

Lexie cleared her throat. "I've set up a communication center. We'll have two teams -- red and blue. Sam's team is red."

Dean interrupted, "Red is my color."

Lexie said, "Sorry, you guys are set up as blue. Gabriel said it's because you like Cas' eyes so much. Who was I to argue with an archangel?"

Dean grumbled but caught Castiel staring at him. They looked at each other intently for a few seconds. Dean said softly, "Go Team Free Will."

Lexie continued, "We have two words for aborting the missing. Red team -- your word is Horny. Again, chosen by Gabriel, because of his horn. Again, who am I to argue with an archangel. Blue team -- your word is assbutt. I don't know why."

Gabriel grinned at Castiel. "You invented that word. So proud of you, little brother." Castiel shook his head fondly at Gabriel.

Dean said, "Okay, saddle up. Team Red is with Sam, Team Blue with me." Dean walked over to Sam and hugged him briefly and then turned his attention to his mother. "Be safe, Mom." He looked crossly at Gabriel, "If anything happens to them, I'm holding you personally responsible."

Gabriel looked at Dean seriously. "Do that. I have no intention of letting anything happen to any of them."

Tabbris, Gabriel, Sam, Mary, and Rowena stood closely together. Dean looked at them, shaking slightly with his fists clenched. "Good luck, guys."

Sam looked at Dean, "You come back alive."

Dean responded, "You too."

They disappeared as Gabriel flew them to their destination. Sam's voice crackled over the speaker of Lexie's computer, "We arrived at our vantage point successfully."

Dean sighed, "Our turn." Jack, Castiel, and Claire gathered around Dean. "Okay, Reya and Lexie, no keggers while we are gone. No wild parties. Don't drink all the beer. We'll see you on the other side. Cas, will you do the honors?"

With the rustling of wings, the group disappeared. Dean's voice came through the speaker a moment later, "Blue team has arrived at our destination. Can we call ourselves the A-Team instead?"

Lexie frown, "No, blue."

Dean responded, "Son of a bitch."

The bunker grew quiet. Lexie and Reya looked at one another. Lexie asked, "They'll be okay, right?"

Reya responded, "They saved the world. A lot."

"They also got themselves frozen in time for forty years," Lexie said frowning.

"Fair point." Reya slid the books out of the way and sat on the table. She started chanting a soft prayer. 

"You think God is going to help?" Lexie asked.

Reya paused, "No, I think he's a douche bag. His angels mostly suck. But, I do have faith in my people's ancestors. I'll ask them to protect and bring out family back."

Lexie paused, wondering how this disparate and motley crew of misfits had morphed into a family.


	19. Viva Las Vegas

Dean looked down from the ridge that Castiel had flown them to study the skyline of Las Vegas. The city still had some lights and a few cars, but large areas of the city were dark. Dean pulled binoculars out of his duffle bag for a closer look. He saw some guards on top of the larger hotels on the strip. He glanced back at Castiel, "You feel the warding, Cas?"

Castiel nodded, "There's no way I can enter the city until that is down."

"You going to try the thingamabob that Gabriel gave you?" Dean asked.

Castiel fished the gem out of his pocket. He murmured, "We'll have to get closer." Castiel looked for another vantage point. They all were suddenly standing in the parking lot of a water treatment plant. Dean wrinkled his nose up at the smell.

Claire said dryly, "You take us to the nicest places, Cas."

"They shouldn't realize that the wards failed unless they actively check them," Castiel said.

"Well, get on that, Cas," Dean responded.

Castiel extended the gem out from his body and concentrated a blue glow enveloped him as the crystal shone brightly for a moment and then the light faded.

"I can enter the city now," Castiel said. "But I can't fly in it. There's something else blocking me."

Jack said, "I read that there are storm drain channels under the city of Las Vegas when I was researching the city. I believe one entry might start somewhere near the water treatment plant." Jack pulled out the tablet Claire had given him and showed Dean the entrance to the tunnels.

The four of them approached the entrance warily. Dean looked at Jack, "Where's the best place for us to cast the banishment spell?"

Jack answered, "Lexie told me that the old Stratosphere hotel would be good. It is over 800 feet tall and would have the greatest range."

"You got maps of the tunnels?" Dean asked.

Claire looked impatient, "Of course he does. What do you think the two of us were doing while you were off angsting about things and staring at each other?”

Dean looked at her quizzically. "Ok, hold your horses. Jack can lead."

Claire muttered something about how Dean must have spent the entire last few days watching Castiel's ass instead of listening as she ducked into the tunnel entrance with Jack. Dean let out an exasperated sigh.

Castiel shrugged at Dean, "Don't look at me. I was busy summoning Gabriel, getting Metatron's grace, and fighting with angels." He entered the tunnel.

Dean stared at his back a moment before muttering, "Son of a bitch." He entered the tunnel after Castiel.

The sides of the tunnels were slimy and old pieces of furniture, bottles, and needles littered the ground. Jack said sadly, "Back when humans lived here still, there were hundreds of homeless people who lived down here. It makes me mad at humanity. Above ground, people indulged in excesses with fancy clothes, gambling, alcohol, and sexual encounters, while under here people battled for their lives with addictions and illnesses."

Dean answered, "I know, kid. Humans can't complain too much about demons and angels when they can't even take care of their own kind."

Jack looked over his shoulder at Dean, "Someday, I will fix all of this. I want a world without fear and without suffering and without hate."

Castiel shot Dean a meaningful look, "I think someday, Jack, you'll do that. I have faith."

Dean reached over and squeezed Castiel's hand for a moment.

They walked quietly a while longer. Jack had memorized the map, so he led them confidently. When they rounded a corner, they came face to face with a trio of demons. Jack extended his hand towards one and a surge of orange energy vaporized it. Castiel placed his hand on another and smote it with a brilliant flash of light. Claire surged forward to stab the last one with an angel blade, the demon glowed red before collapsing.

Dean looked irritated, "You guys didn't leave me anything."

Castiel rolled his eyes, while Jack continued to lead down the tunnel. As they approached the center of town, Castiel paused. "There are additional wards ahead. I won't be able to get through."

Dean frowned, "That's no good. You have to be the one to cast the spell. Can't you use the thingamabob that Gabriel gave you?"

"That was pretty much a one-time thing, Dean." Castiel put his hand on the wall. "There's a parallel shaft to this one. That tunnel contains the wards. We need to get to that to remove the sigils."

Jack looked at the wall. "I could disintegrate it."

Claire looked between Jack and the wall. "How much noise will that generate?"

"Not much. It's not an explosion, but if there's anyone on the other side they could be alerted," Jack put his hand on the wall. Jack looked at Dean expectantly.

Dean bit his bottom lip as he thought things through. "I think we have to do it. We can't cast the spell to send the demons back to Hell without Cas."

Castiel stood next to Jack with his angel blade drawn as Jack extended his hand towards the wall. Claire and Dean stood behind them with their guns drawn. An orange pulse surrounded Jack's hand as the wall disintegrated with a slight crumbling noise. Castiel murmured, "I can't go in there until you clear the warding."

Dean stepped through first and stopped in confusion as he saw four people with their backs to him working on a bank of computers. A dark-haired woman slowly turned as she heard Jack stumble slightly on the debris as he entered the room. Dean pulled the trigger and shot her. She stood in confusion, unable to move because of the bullet with the devil's trap within her. Claire dived in, rolled, and shot another one, while Jack made the last two disappear in a flash of orange energy followed by a cloud of dust. Jack strode over and smote the demons still standing but unable to move. A voice came over the computer console, "Sentry five, what is going on?"

Dean scrambled over and pushed what looked like it might be the speaker on the console. "Everything looks normal."

The voice said suspiciously, "Who is this?"

Dean grimaced, looked at the monitor, "We just had a small weapons malfunction. We're fine."

The voice more sternly asked, "Who is this?"

Dean pulled out his gun and started shooting the computer. "Boring conversation anyway. That didn't work so well in Star Wars either. We're going to have company."

Claire walked around the control room. "Jack, do you see anything on this wall? It seems a little different than the others."

Jack held his hand against the wall. "Something is etched into the stone so finely, you can't see it." His hand glowed orange for a moment. "Castiel, try to enter the room now."

Castiel stepped through the doorway. "Do we continue this way or continue through the other tunnel."

Dean considered for a moment. "Can we cause the tunnel next to this room to collapse and then cause this room to collapse right after we leave it? That way nothing can come up behind us."

Claire squinted, "That won't leave us an escape route."

"There ain't no escaping unless we succeed what we came here to do. It's pretty much a one-way trip from this point. Either Cas flies us home after we blow up the thing or we go down swinging." Dean growled.

Claire nodded. Jack looked questioningly at Castiel. After Castiel nodded, Jack faced the other passageway through the hole he had created. He extended his hand and a ball of energy came out, flaring like a fireball until there was a sudden flash of light and the sound of the adjacent tunnel collapsing reverberated through the room. Dean cautiously opened the door in the control room to find a well-lit hallway. He didn't see any sign of movement, so he motioned the others to come forward. Jack closed the door after causing the roof to collapse in the room behind him.

Dean called into his headset, "Lexie, can you pinpoint our GPS and tell me if you have a map for our current location. I think we might be under one of the hotels in a security area."

Lexie answered, "Based on your signal, I think you are under Circus Circus. You're underground though and it's hard to tell for sure."

Dean heard a commotion down the hallway. "Lexie, see if you can find the blueprints for the hotel and send them to Claire. We're about to find some new friends."

Dean motioned at Claire to stay behind, as he, Castiel, and Jack rounded a corner. A group of six demons in black fatigues rounded the corner. One of them launched a grenade came at them that exploded with a blast of heavy smoke and concussive force. Dean was knocked back. His eyes burned, and he started coughing hoarsely. Castiel ran at the group with his angel blade out, while Jack methodically killed them one by one with pulses of orange energy. Castiel managed to kill two with his angel blade as Jack disintegrated the other four.

Castiel hurried back to Dean and placed his hand his forehead. His hand glowed brightly for a moment and Dean felt the effects of the smoke grenade dissipate. Castiel said, "I think they know it's an angel attacking them now. That group was in contact with their commander over a commlink as we dispatched them."

Dean frowned as he spoke into his headset again, "Lexie, any good news for me?"

Lexie responded, "Sent the maps to Claire. Based on where I think you are, I suggest you look for some stairs to the right of the t intersection that you are approaching. That should take you to the service area under the Adventure Dome area of the hotel."

Claire showed Jack the map quickly. Jack nodded. "I see the way through."

The team walked quickly down the hallway with Castiel and Jack on point and Dean and Claire following. They heard a group of demons approaching as they found the door to the stairwell. They ducked inside and started to climb the stairs. As they approached the landing for the next floor, two demons appeared and flung Castiel and Jack back into Claire and Dean and the four started to tumble down the stairs. Castiel grabbed the stair railing and pulled himself up, hitting his chin hard. Blood trickled out the corner of his mouth. He charged up the stairs with his angel blade drawn and jumped between the demons, stabbing one with the angel blade while smiting the other one with a flash of light. Castiel turned around when he heard additional footsteps coming up the stairs behind them. Jack scrambled to his feet as a group of demons caught sight of them. Jack lifted his hand and a pulse of orange energy enveloped the demons and they disappeared with an acrid stench and a puff of smoke. Jack staggered, as his energy dwindled.

Castiel growled, "Up here." He opened the door at the landing and entered in what used to be an indoor amusement park. A rollercoaster leaned precariously with carts dangling off one side. Litter filled the floor, while other rides and food kiosks looked tired and dilapidated under a layer of dust. They could hear a large force of demons swarming into the room from an opposite entrance. The group darted to the doors leading outside and pushed them open. As they ran into the street, they found themselves surrounded by groups of demons. Castiel's eyes fell on the Stratosphere tower two blocks away.

Dean growled, "Go for it, Cas. We'll keep them engaged and distracted." He let loose a spray of bullets with devil’s traps engraved in them towards the demons on one side of them, while Claire did the same on the other. Castiel squeezed Dean's shoulder for a moment and then disappeared in a rustling of feathers. Jack let out a pulse of energy that took down a large group of demons, but the trio could see armored vehicles approaching them at a rapid speed. Jack pulled out the angel tablet and holding it in his left hand, let out a ball of energy with his right that surrounded him, Dean, and Claire. It kept the demons at bay, but Dean saw a demon with a grenade launcher taking aim at them. He jumped between the demon and Jack and closed his eyes, expecting to be obliterated at any second. Instead, he heard a rumbling noise and screams. He opened his eyes to see a large cloud of white smoke emanating from the top of the tower. As the smoke touched the demons, the demons cried out and crumpled to the ground.

The ground below the demons glowed dark red as the souls from the demons were sucked into hell below them. The screams from the demons filled the air, but a few seconds later there was a deadly silence.

Castiel appeared next to Dean. Blood flowed down across his cheek from a cut above his right eye and he held his hand over a wound in his right side. He staggered for a second, but Dean caught him. Castiel grunted, "My apologies for the delay. There were guards in the tower."

Dean asked into his headset, "Lexie, can you tell me the status of the red team?"

Lexie didn't answer immediately, so Dean said louder, "Lexie?"

"You need to get over there as fast as possible," Lexie stammered. "It's bad, really bad."

Dean answered, "On our way." He looked at Castiel trying to heal his side. "Can you get us to L.A., Cas?"

Castiel grimaced, "One moment, Dean."

Jack's hand shot out and touched Castiel. The wound closed but Jack fell to his knees. Claire put her arm around him and pulled him up.

Castiel closed his eyes a moment, his prayers reaching out to Gabriel to try to locate him. His eyes flew open a moment later. "I know where they are, and we are going to go in there hot. Get ready."

Dean pulled his rifle in position to fire. Jack forced himself to stand upright, and Claire held a handgun in one hand an angel blade in another. They disappeared with the rustling sound of wings.


	20. California Dreaming

Gabriel landed softly behind the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles with Rowena, Tabbris, Mary, and Sam in tow. He squinted looking into Los Angeles. "Sam, see those skyscrapers all the way over there? That's where we have to go."

"Is this as close as we can go before you have to remove the wards?" Sam asked.

"Nah, I can get us closer, but that tall white building. That's the US Bank Tower. That's where we have to get Tabbris to cast the spell."

"You can't do it?" Sam glanced at Gabriel.

"I'm the diversion, Sammy. Rowena, Mary, and I will make a mess while you and Tabbris will get to that tower." Gabriel smiled at him.

"Mom?" Sam looked at Mary.

"I'll be where Rowena is. If we attract Asmodeus' attention, she'll need time to cast the binding spell. I'll be fine, Sam. This isn't the first time Rowena and I have played with demons." Mary smiled at him reassuringly.

"It's going to look biblical in nature, Sam. I'm going to rain chaos down on those sons of bitches. I'll come in from the south after setting Mary and Rowena down someplace where they can watch for Asmobutt. You and Tabby come from the north. I expect there will be more warding when you hit the downtown, so you might have to figure out that puzzle. Move in close after I distract them." Blue sparked in Gabriel's eyes. 

"I'll be adding some fireworks of my own to distract them," Rowena added. 

Sam looked at Tabbris, "Tabby?"

"I understand the mission, Sam. At the top of the tower, I need to cast the spell to rid Los Angeles of demons. When all the demons are cast out, you will cast the spell to lock the gates of hell. Correct?"

"You got it, kiddo," Gabriel answered. He extended his hand and a pulse of energy rippled through the city. "Major wards are down. You wild kids have fun." Gabriel disappeared with Rowena and Mary.

Sam said into his headset, "Lexie, we're heading in."

Lexie responded, "Roger that, Sam. Blue team is on location in Las Vegas."

Reya's voice in the background said, "Take care of Tabby for me, Sam."

Lexie added, "Take care of yourself too, Sam."

Sam said calmly, "This isn't the first apocalypse we stopped. Hopefully, it's the last one we will have to." He looked at Tabbris, "How close can you get us?"

Tabbris squinted as she looked into the distance. "That stadium doesn't seem to have additional wards."

Sam nodded, "Let's go."

With the fluttering of wings, Tabbris landed them on the top of the stadium. "There are wards between us and the tower that we'll need to take down."

"Any idea where?"

"In the cathedral, Sam. I can take us to the outside of it, but you'll need to go inside and destroy the sigil." Tabbris looked at the church critically. "It's swarming with demons, so I think we need to wait until Gabriel causes the diversion."

A large shadow appeared over the city. "Holy crap, is that a dragon?" Sam exclaimed.

Tabbris blinked, "Yes, it is. Gabriel appears to be riding it."

Flame erupted from the dragon's mouth, catching part of the city south of the tower to catch on fire. Sam muttered, "God, I hope there are no civilians in there."

"It would be highly unlikely, Sam. The demons have controlled this area for decades. And I doubt God will answer your prayers right now."

"I wasn't praying… Never mind. How's the demon situation?"

"Several have left their posts to go figure out what the dragon is. There are still some in there, but they are more manageable." Tabbris tilted her head. "Ready?"

"Let's roll," Sam answered.

Tabbris blinked, "Why would we roll?"

Sam snorted, "Angels. Fly us to the cathedral, please."

========================

After leaving the Hollywood sign, Gabriel flew Mary and Rowena to top of Staples Center to the southeast of the tower. "You two stay here and keep an eye on things, while I go create a distraction. It might take me a moment." Gabriel disappeared.

Mary braced herself, holding her rifle defensively.

"Don't be a soddin' hero, love," Rowena said softly.

"You're one to talk." Mary smiled at her. "You're planning on confronting Asmodeus."

"I'm just going to be hiding behind you and Gabriel," Rowena smiled.

A roaring noise sounded near them. They glanced up to see a dragon barreling in their direction. Mary's eyes widened. "Oh my god, the demons have a dragon."

Rowena stared, "That's no demon, that's Gabriel. He could have warned us."

Gabriel flew the dragon close over their heads. The dragon hovered, large wings flapping with thudding sound. Gabriel yelled, "I promised Gladrys she could have first dibs on the museums and banks vaults in the area. She likes shiny things."

The dragon roared as another burst of flame spewed from her mouth, burning a group of approaching demons.

"Wish me luck, ladies." Gabriel and the dragon flew west, leaving a wake of destruction in their path.

Rowena grumbled, "He's a bloody showoff, that one."

===========

Tabbris flew Sam down to the outside of the church. She smote one demon while stabbing another with an angel blade. "In there. There's a ward in there that is protecting the area."

Sam nodded. He went to a side door and opened it. Looking in the hallway of the church, he didn't see anyone. He walked gingerly into the main chapel. Two demons turned around to face him, and he shot each of them once, freezing them in place with the devil's trap bullets. One demon extended his hand and Sam flew into the side of the wall. He ducked behind a pew as he started to cast an exorcism. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica." The demons threw furniture and objects around the room, but Sam continued with the exorcism. When he finished, the demons were ejected from their hosts who crumpled to the ground. Sam quickly surveyed the room. He ripped curtains away from the wall until he found the sigil drawn on the wall. He shot the sigil several times, causing chips of stone to fly from the wall until he had broken the line. He exited the church and found Tabbris watching Gabriel and the dragon tensely. "How's that, Tabby? Can you get to the tower?"

"There's another ward in Pershing Square south of the tower. If we destroy that one, we should be able to get in." Tabbris frowned, looking at Gabriel. "He is burning things quite close to us."

"He's not known for his subtlety," Sam answered.

Tabbris flew them to the edge of the park. "It's in there." She stood alertly, grasping her angel blade tightly. Sam ran into the park, surveying his surroundings. On the ground, he found a sigil drawn in the cement. He started to shoot at it when he heard a rumbling noise. He glanced around to see a heavily armed vehicle approaching the park. He stared at it for a moment as it stopped and fired a large missile in the direction of the dragon. The dragon roared in pain as the missile hit it and shuddered from the impact. Sam took his angel blade and scratched the surface of the sigil frantically until he destroyed the line. He turned and watched in horror as the dragon and Gabriel fell from the sky and hit the ground hard.

Gabriel stood up and looked stunned for a moment, a trail of blood trickled from his mouth. As the vehicle approached him, Gabriel extended his hand and the vehicle exploded and the demons within it. He rubbed Gladrys' face for a moment. "Thank you, old girl. I'm sorry. I'll bring you your treasure soon." He touched her, and a faint blue glow appeared around her before she disappeared.

Sam ran to Tabbris, "Can you get us up there?"

Tabbris nodded. She grabbed Sam's hand and they landed on the top of the tower. Sam could see the flash of gunfire from the top of the sports center towards the demons approaching Gabriel. He stood defiantly with his fists clenched as an army of demons swarmed from the side streets in his direction. Gabriel flicked his shoulder and shouted, "That all you got?" The demons headed towards him in a swarm, as he began to throw bolts of energy into the masses smiting groups of demons. 

Tabbris cast the spell as quickly as she could. When she finished, white smoke billowed from the top of the tower and the screams of demons filled the night as they were ejected from their hosts.

Sam asked into his headset, "Lexie, how is the blue team doing?"

"They are underneath Circus Circus about to reach the street level," Lexie answered.

"Tell me just as soon as they eject the demons, so I can cast the spell to close the gates." Sam looked worriedly around. Gabriel was on the ground looking intently in the distance. Sam could feel the ground rumbling under the ground, the tower started swaying slightly. Sam yelled, "What the hell? Shouldn't the demons be gone?"

Tabbris said, "I cast the ones that were here back to hell. I don't know…" The tower started shuddering, large cracks appearing in the wall. She looked at Sam, "Grab the spell ingredients, we have to get out of the tower."

Sam grabbed his bag, and Tabbris flew them to Gabriel as the tower shuddered and fell in on itself with debris and dust exploding from its base. Gabriel's eyes flashed blue as he turned in that direction. The earth between the remnants of the tower and the trio started to crack and move underneath them. Flames licked out of the ground as a pit began to form. "Holy hell in a handbasket," Gabriel exclaimed. "It's the shedim." Gabriel's wings flared behind him as his eyes sparked blue.

"Can you get the dragon back?" Sam queried nervously.

"Gladrys is hurt. I sent her home. I'll take her payment later for services rendered." 

Two tall, gangly creatures pulled themselves out of the ground. Sam stared at them; they were hideous with greyish, leathery skin covered with bumps and sores. They had sharp claws with long fingers, and they stared at Gabriel with orange bulbous eyes. Heat shimmered out of the hole they crawled out of. Gabriel glanced up to where Rowena and Mary were. "I think I need the witch's help, Tabbris. Would you mind?"

Tabbris flew up and reappeared with them a moment later. Rowena sputtered, "Taking on the shedim was not part of our agreement, Gabriel."

"Sorry, Red. The fight just changed." Gabriel let loose a bolt of energy from his hand towards one of the shedim. Tabbris joined him a moment later. Rowena started casting a spell, while Mary stood in front of her protectively.

Sam said frantically into his headset, "Lexie, are they done? Please tell me they are done."

A small group of demons appeared in front of the shedim. Gabriel could see Asmodeus behind them and headed in that direction. Rowena's face flickered towards Asmodeus but continued to cast the spell to try to send the shedim back. Tabbris continued to throw grace at the shedim, while Mary shot at the demons. 

Sam growled, "Lexie? Please?"

"They are still fighting the demons, Sam. What's going on?" Lexie's voice sounded frantic.

"We are getting our asses handed to us. Powerful ancient demons." 

Sam grimaced as he saw Asmodeus teleport behind Rowena and grab her by the neck. Mary twisted and kicked Asmodeus in the kneecap, causing him to falter for a moment. Asmodeus glared at her and sent her flying into a pillar in the park. 

Gabriel started killing the demons, leaving bodies scattered around him. Sam tried to shoot Asmodeus, but he shrugged it off without reacting. After Gabriel finished dispatching the demons, he flew to Asmodeus and appeared behind him. Gabriel stabbed him with the archangel blade and Asmodeus shuddered. He flung Rowena to the ground to turn and face Gabriel. Rowena's head hit the ground with a loud thud. 

Tabbris stumbled in front with the shedim and fell to her knees after it backhanded her. Sam pulled out his angel blade and charged at it to protect Tabbris. As it pulled its arm back to swipe Tabbris with its claws, Sam stabbed it deeply in its side. His arm reverberated from the hit as it shifted to look at him. Sam pulled out the angel blade to strike again, but he was impaled as it embedded its claws deep within his chest. He grunted in pain as he started to lose consciousness, blood blossomed across his chest. Tabbris regained her footing and placed her hand on the shedim, trying to smite it ineffectively.

Lexie's voice came through the headset, "They are finished. You can cast the spell now, Sam."

Sam hoarsely whispered, "Too late," as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Gabriel grappled with Asmodeus. He could have taken care of Asmodeus in his original state, but Asmodeus with fifty years of archangel grace flowing within him was another thing. Gabriel gasped as he saw Sam go down. Rowena faced Asmodeus and quietly chanted her spell. Mary charged Asmodeus' back, slicing him deeply before being flung careening across the ground. Her face scrapped across the surface of the gravel.

Castiel, Claire, Dean, and Jack appeared next to Sam with the rustling of feathers. Castiel staggered the moment they landed, almost falling. Claire immediately began firing her gun intently at the shedim engaged with Tabbris. 

Dean muttered, "Son of a bitch," as he dragged Sam away from the fight. Jack extended his hand towards the ground as a third shedim started to emerge. An orange fiery glow surrounded the pit before it started to close, trapping the third shedim within it. One of the shedim headed towards Gabriel and Asmodeus, while the other one continued to attack Tabbris.

Dean knelt next to Sam. He applied pressure to the wounds on Sam's chest, but blood gushed out despite his best efforts. Dean said in a strangled voice, "Cas. I need you."

Castiel staggered to Dean, fell to his knees, and placed his hand on Sam's chest. He slowed the bleeding before collapsing in a heap beside Sam. Dean looked around panicked. Although he knew it would be of no avail, he prayed, "Please, Chuck. Please."

Rowena finished her spell and Asmodeus was pinned in a purple light, unable to fight or move. Gabriel looked at him through narrowed eyes, "Goodbye, Asmobutt." Asmodeus burst into flames with a painful scream.

Gabriel's eyes flew to the shedim heading towards him. Jack moved to help Tabbris and Claire fighting the other one. Gabriel sent the full force of an archangel towards the shedim, and it exploded with bits of gore, bones, and skin flying everywhere.

Jack saw what Gabriel did and raised one hand towards the remaining shedim, while drawing power from the angel tablet in the other. He yelled to Tabbris and Claire, "Get out of the way." After the two rolled away from it, Jack emulated what Gabriel did and pushed his energy towards the shedim. It roared with anguish briefly before exploding in a bloodbath of gore. Jack collapsed to his knees, shaking. Claire yelled, "Close the gates of hell, close the gates."

Rowena strode over to Sam's duffle bag and pulled out the ingredients. She cast the spell as quickly as she could. The sky was filled with crackling energy, winds swirled, and lightning struck around them. The storm fled as quickly as he came. Rowena slipped to her knees, holding the back of her head where it was bleeding from where she had slammed into the cement. "We did it. We bloody did it," she gasped.

Dean felt Sam's pulse. Even though Castiel had stemmed the external bleeding, Sam was still in trouble. His pulse was weak and fading, his breath coming in gasps. Dean pleaded, "Gabriel, can you help?" 

Gabriel rushed over, nudging Dean out of the way. "Come on, Sammy. You can't do this to me," Gabriel begged. Gabriel placed his hand on Sam's forehead, bathing him in a soft blue glow.

Jack staggered over to Mary. He held out his hand and healed her the best that he could. 

Claire ran to Castiel, kneeling next to him. Dean glanced over at the two of them worried but refocused his attention on Sam. Tabbris went to Rowena and placed her hand on her forehead to heal her.

A sudden concussive force and a bright light suddenly jolted through the group, causing everyone to fly backward. They heard a rustle of wings and a moment later the light faded. Dean looked around panicked and realized that Castiel and Claire were gone. He yelled, "Gabriel, where's Cas and Claire?"

Gabriel looked up from Sam with a shocked expression, "Angels must have taken him. I felt them for a just a moment and then they were gone."

"Son of a bitch," Dean growled. 

Gabriel looked at him worried, "I'll go look for them in a minute. Right now, let's get Sam home." The group gathered around Gabriel, and he flew them back to the bunker.


	21. When Angels Fall

Castiel came back to consciousness slowly, as he felt someone call him from a seemingly long distance. Then, a hand on his shoulder shook him. "Cas, you dumbass. Wake up." The voice sounded louder and more persistent. He opened his eyes slowly. Claire's face was peering down at him as he laid prone on the ground. 

"Claire? Where are we?" He looked around, taking in his austere surroundings. They were in a cell with grey stone walls. The floor was hard-packed dirt with a stone bench against the back wall of the cell.

"I don’t know. Angels brought us here and dropped us off. I haven't seen them since. Is this…," Claire paused and took a breath, "Heaven?"

"What? No, of course not. You'd have to be dead for it to be Heaven and you aren't dead." Castiel scrunched his eyes at her.

"Are you sure?"

"Claire, believe me, I would know if you were dead." Castiel sat up slowly. "Dean and the demons?"

"Sam was really injured, but the demons were dead, and they were patching people up." Claire started to pull at Castiel's clothes, inspecting him.

"What are you doing?" Castiel tilted his head at her.

"Looking for injuries," she said shortly.

"I'm fine, Claire. I just overextended myself healing Sam."

She whacked him hard on the back of the head. "You double dumbass. I was sure you were dead. And you were just taking a nap."

Castiel sighed. "Did the angels say anything?"

"No. They just dumped us in here and took off."

Castiel stood up, wobbling a bit. "They didn't take anyone else?"

"Not that I know of. We were there, and suddenly I felt hands grabbing me and I was here with you."

Castiel squinted at the cell door. "There's warding so I can't fly out."

Claire walked over to look more closely at the lock on the cell door. "This is old. We're in some sort of old fort or church or something."

"It's not a green room or any sort of angel illusion. We really are someplace." Footsteps reverberated through the hallway. Claire left the door and sat on the bench in the back, as Castiel turned to face the door.

A dark-haired, male angel in a dark suit rounded the corner. "Ah, Castiel, you are awake."

"Iniad. Tabbris told me you are Anael's accomplice on perverting the purpose of the prophets," Castiel growled.

"Everyone knows Tabbris is the one that coveted power from the prophets," Iniad smiled. "Such a good thing that angel rebelled so we had someone to blame."

"Gabriel is a true archangel, and he will reclaim Heaven. And you, you will become dust on the bottom of his shoe." Castiel smirked.

"Well, that's where you come in, Castiel. The Nephilim will turn himself over to us in exchange for your and the girl's safety. And Gabriel, well Gabriel never really wants to be in family drama. He won't care that we have you. He wanted revenge on Asmodeus and now he'll do what he does and find some hookers and blow."

"Porn stars," Castiel answered.

"What?"

"Not hookers. He finds porn stars. You misunderstand him through. He never wanted to fight with his brothers, his true brothers, the other archangels. You not so much family." Castiel arched an eyebrow at Iniad. "Gabriel will find some way to kill you that you will deserve. It's kind of his thing. And my son's name is Jack."

Iniad twisted his hand, and Claire collapsed with a grunt of pain in the back of the cell. Iniad snarled, "I can, and I will kill your vessel's daughter if you don't play nice, Castiel."

Claire grunted out, "Bite me."

"You hurt Claire and you will never get Jack's cooperation. She's his sister in every way that counts." Castiel glared at Iniad with a piercing look.

Iniad laughed. "We'll see." He turned and walked out.

Castiel was over by Claire's side in a heartbeat, "You okay, Claire?"

"He twisted my insides for a minute, but I'm fine. Just peachy in fact." Claire grumbled, "I hate angels. The whole bunch of them are dicks."

"We are. We are stuck up, self-righteous bags of dicks with sticks shoved up our asses and very little senses of humor or irony." 

"Not you, Gabriel, or Tabbris."

Castiel shook his head, "Yeah, we were. We just met people who made us assess our own opinion of self-worth." 

Claire pulled a necklace from under her shirt. Castiel stared at the heart-shaped locket. He had seen it on numerous occasions and knew it was one of the few things that Claire had left of her family. She popped it open and started to pull it apart. Castiel could see on one side of the locket there was a picture of Amelia and Jimmy, while on the other half was a picture of him and Dean. Claire pulled out a thin wire and then put the locket back together. "Jody taught me to always hide something on me to pick locks." She smiled at Castiel. "Let's get to work."

========================

Gabriel landed the entire team in the library of the bunker. Lexie was ready with medical supplies for Sam and had placed a blanket and a pillow on the library table. Dean and Gabriel placed Sam gently on the table. Dean started cutting away Sam's shirt, while Mary started to prepare an IV.

Dean grunted, "He needs a blood transfusion."

Mary responded, "On it." Dean sat down in one of the chairs, while Mary took as much blood as she dared from him.

Gabriel sat on the table next to Sam. He looked tired but continued to push a trickle of grace into Sam. "He's stable, Dean, but weak as a kitten." Lexie started washing the blood off Sam with a basin of water that sat on the table.

After finishing drawing blood from Dean, Mary set up a transfusion for Sam. 

Dean looked at Gabriel. "How do we find Cas?"

"He's warded somewhere because if he wasn't I would know where he is. His signature is really distinctive because it's got that whole human soul-angel hybrid thing going on."

"Huh?" Dean stared at him.

Gabriel shrugged. "Over the years you two kind bled into each other. You got a bit of his grace floating around in you, and he's got a bit of your soul floating around in him. Why do you think everyone you ever met assumed you were together even before you were, you know, together? Who hasn't picked on you and Castiel for your relationship?"

After cleaning away the blood, Lexie sat in a chair next to Sam and held his hand. He was still unconscious, but the color was slowly returning to his face. Dean looked distractedly at Lexie for a moment before turning back to Gabriel. "Profound bond?"

"Yeah, kiddo. Sam actually has a bit of it too. Castiel rebuilt him too. But it doesn't have the warm squishiness of yours and Castiel's. You all share bits and pieces of each other. He really is kind of your brother too, but that sort of makes your whole relationship kind of freaky, so maybe don't think of it that way." Gabriel waggled his eyebrows.

"How do we get Claire and Castiel back? And why did they take them?" Jack looked at Gabriel worriedly.

"Bargaining chips, kiddo. They didn't want to grab you or me, because they probably aren't equipped to make a cage strong enough for the likes of us. But, they are assuming that you'll do anything to save Castiel. Which you can't do, by the way."

"But they'll hurt Castiel and Claire," Jack protested.

Dean stared at Gabriel, "But they won't kill them, Gabe?"

Gabriel nodded. "The angels know if they kill either of them, you'll never play ball. They want you to play ball."

Jack stared at him, "Why would we play ball?"

Gabriel sighed and looked at Dean, "Castiel really is his father." He turned to face Jack again, "They want you to cooperate. They want you to make more angels. They want you."

"Lucifer told me I needed to go help them," Jack looked at Gabriel earnestly.

"Well, normally, I wouldn't listen to Luci, but he's right in a way, kiddo. There's a vacuum in Heaven and ass hats keep taking it over. Nothing's been right up there in a long time since Dad left really. Michael, Raphael, and Lucifer were all in a self-righteous pissing match. I'm no leader. I have the attention span of a gnat and the whole Heaven thing is really not my deal. So, we get a Naomi, a Metatron, or an Anael in charge and then Heaven goes to Hell in a handbasket. Metaphorically speaking, of course. With me so far, kid?" Gabriel explained.

"I think so." Jack looked between Tabbris and Gabriel. "So, how do we fix the problem?"

"Someone who cares about both humanity and angels has to take over. Someone without a hidden agenda. Angels need a mission, and they are becoming extinct. However, as much as you hate us dicks, we are actually needed. Angels have been so distracted and so decimated that Anael has them doing the wrong jobs. The keepers of the individual Heavens have been drafted into her army so that it's starting to crumble. Cherubs are doing the jobs of seraphs, and it's a whole big damn mess. Without angels though, Heaven won't function, and humans won't wind up where they are supposed to. So, you're damned if you and you're damned if you don't. Again, metaphorically speaking. Well, maybe that last part isn't so metaphoric."

"So, we need to fix Heaven?" Jack blinked at him.

Dean interrupted irritated, "Every God-damned time that Castiel tries to fix God-damned Heaven some God-damned angel fucks everything and its brother up. He has fucking tried to fucking fix Heaven so many fucking times…"

Mary muttered, "Language, Dean."

Dean rolled his eyes.

Gabriel glared at Dean. "You are right. Castiel did try to fix things, and you are right, it usually messed up things more each time. Castiel's loyalties are always divided because he's tied to you. Angels resent him because he's Dad's special snowflake. He's the only angel Dad has ever bothered to rebuild, repeatedly. Why do you think Lucifer hated him so much?"

"Because Cas was too good for a bag of dicks like him," Dean retorted.

"Not all angels dislike Castiel," Tabbris said quietly.

Gabriel looked at her, "Bingo. Some like him, which is why Heaven is constantly up in arms and divisive when he tries to do crap to fix it."

Dean gave him a pointed look, "Why don't you fix it?"

"Have you met me, Dean? The attention span of a gnat? This ain't my gig."

Jack frowned, "It's my gig."

"Bingo and we have a winner," Gabriel announced.

Dean looked at him, "No, Jack. This isn't your problem."

Jack looked at Dean, "It is my problem. I wanted to be good. This is what I can and should do."

Dean looked away. "We're your family."

Jack said softly, "You're my human family, but Lucifer said…"

"I don't want to hear about friggin' Lucifer," Dean roared.

Tabbris cocked her head at Dean. "Jack is not wrong, Dean. I'm not a soldier. I was meant to be a record keeper."

Dean stared at her, "You tore up the rule book too."

Gabriel looked at Dean steadily, "Jack can make new angels. He can create things. Angels don’t create things, they follow plans. They take orders. Humans create things, like music, poetry, art, and love, but angels don't. Without new angels, the people that you love in Heaven houses will fall apart. Heaven will become disassembled. I know you are all about free will, but despite what Castiel has told you, angels just aren't made for it, bub. Not even Castiel, really. You just became his mission. Why do you think he does all these absolutely crazy things to try to keep you safe?" Gabriel looked at Dean kindly. "Castiel loves you and it broke him, but that's not necessarily bad for him. You're the ring at the bottom of his box of cracker jacks. But it causes issues that make him unfit to do shit involving Heaven. Capiche? "

Dean said stubbornly, "Cas isn't broken."

Gabriel sighed, "Let's reword it. You made Castiel a real boy."

Jack put a hand on Dean's arm. "I love you, Dean, but I know this is what my mother would want me to do. She knew I had a purpose that was good. This is my purpose."

Dean grumbled, "First things first, we have to find Cas and Claire."

Sam's eyes fluttered open at that moment and he said hoarsely, "Where are Cas and Claire?"

Dean looked at Sam with a relieved look, "Welcome back to the land of the living, Sammy. And that's the question of the hour. It's time to play Where's Waldo for Cas again. I swear to God, I'm putting one of those collars on him that helps you find lost pets. Geo-location chip."

Tabbris and Mary helped Sam to his room to lay down and rest. Reya and Lexie started to search for signs of angels on their computers. Rowena muttered something about finding a location spell. Gabriel sat down in the corner of the library and pulled out a chocolate bar. 

Dean headed to the kitchen for a beer. He took two out and downed one in a single long draw and then opened the second one. He was startled a moment later when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Jack staring at him, his head tilted in a way very reminiscent of Castiel. 

"Dean, you are family and will always be my family," Jack said softly.

"I know, Jack. I just like keeping my family together," Dean looked away from him for a moment and then met his eyes. "I love you, Jack. I rarely say those words to anyone, because words are hard for me. You are the closest thing I'll ever have to a kid, and I don't want to lose you."

Jack smiled sadly, "Kids grow up."

"I know." Dean put down his beer and hugged Jack tightly. "I just don’t want you to."

Jack pulled back a moment later, "Can I call you Dad?"

Dean smiled, "Always."

===================

Castiel watched as Claire tried to pick the lock. She looked frustrated until she heard a small noise and the door swung open. She shot Castiel a victorious look. "Score one for the hairless apes," she whispered.

Castiel smiled. Claire stepped out of the cell. She looked back at Castiel, "Aren't you coming?"

"I can't. The wards are still in place. We would need to remove them from the bars. Claire, just please try to get out of here. Your job is to keep yourself safe. I'll be fine."

Claire stared at him through narrowed eyes, "I don’t trust you."

Castiel looked affronted, "What do you mean? I'm sorry I let you get captured."

"That's not your fault, dumbass. I don't trust you to not make some sort of grand self-sacrificing gesture to ensure that you can't be used to lure Jack." Claire stepped back into the cell.

Castiel rolled his eyes, "Claire, be reasonable. You can go get help and get the others to come here."

Claire begrudgingly left the cell again. "If you get killed, Cas, I'm never talking to you again."

The corner of Castiel's mouth quirked up in a small smile, "I'll do my best to not get killed, Claire. I have too much to live for."

"Damn right. Dean will get pissed if you get killed," Claire retorted.

Claire noticed her weapons bag on a table in the far corner. She pulled out her handgun and an angel blade. She handed Castiel the angel blade. "I'll be back with help."

"Be careful, Claire." Castiel looked at her worriedly.

"Always am," Claire said cockily and gave Castiel a jaunty salute.

Claire approached the door cautiously. She turned to look over her shoulder at Castiel one more time.

He called after her softly, "I love you."

She smiled and answered, "I know."

===================

Dean went to Sam's room to check on him. When he got to the door, he found Gabriel talking quietly to Sam. Gabriel sitting on a chair next to the bed, while Sam reclined with his back against the headboard.

Dean asked, "Am I interrupting something?"

Gabriel looked over his shoulder, "Just bringing Sam up to speed on things because he was out for the count during our conversation earlier."

"Any sign of Cas?" Dean looked at Gabriel hopefully.

Gabriel shook his head. "I asked Lexie and Reya if they had found anything in their computer thingamabobs, but they haven't seen anything. Tabbris went to check out where they had held Reya previously, but nada. We'll find my pesky little brother, Dean."

Sam looked at Dean, concern etched around his eyes. "Dean, my bet would be he's in the angels' stronghold in Arizona. They can't take Claire to Heaven, and I'm sure they want to use her as leverage too."

"Well, then let's go there."

Gabriel gave Dean an appraising look. "You think you can take on an army of angels? Remember what they did to Tabbris and Castiel last time? They'll squish you like a bug."

"You're an archangel. Can't you just zap them all?"

Gabriel smiled sadly, "I'm not omnipotent. If archangels were all powerful, Raphael could have squashed Castiel's civil war at any time. Jack might be able to do some big power move, but we can't kill all the angels. We need them. We need to figure out how to approach this."

"Rowena thinks she can amplify a sigil so it would blast all angels in an area to Heaven," Sam said.

"So, the same thing as with the demons only more celestial?" Dean asked.

"Something like that. We could then close the doors to Heaven while they sort themselves out," Gabriel responded.

"But what about Cas?"

"Now, you get to the point on why we can't take on the whole army until we figure out how to extricate Cas," Gabriel said as he summoned a lollipop.

Sam said, "He might want to go back to Heaven."

"Not happening," Dean growled.

"You don't own him," Sam protested.

"Don't worry, sugar cakes. Cassie will stick with you," Gabriel reassured Dean.

"I'm not sure he will if Jack goes." Dean looked stubbornly at them.

Sam sighed at Dean, "That would be his choice, and we should respect that."

"Easy for you to say, Sam. He's not your angel."

Gabriel cracked a smile and raised his hand, "Can I be Sam’s angel?"

Dean snorted. "Better stop that before Sam takes you seriously."

Gabriel shrugged, "You're right. He's not a porn star. Sammy, have you ever considered acting?" Gabriel's eyes narrowed, and his brows furrowed as he concentrated.

Dean looked at him concerned, "You feel Cas?"

"Not him. Claire is praying to me. She says they are in that compound in Arizona. She managed to escape far enough to be able to pray to me but warns me there are wards. Now, she's going to go back in and try to figure out how to rescue Cassie," Gabriel frowned.

"Tell her to stop. She shouldn't go back in until we get there," Dean growled.

"Prayers only work one way, Dean. If I plop there now to stop her, they'll know that the jig is up and be ready for any sort of attack." Gabriel looked at Sam thoughtfully.

"Dammit. Claire is always so headstrong. Never changes," Dean growled.

Gabriel, "Well, time to get the gang back together again and figure out how to go after them. Sam, you're sitting this one out."

Sam struggled to get out of bed, "The hell I am."

Gabriel squinted at him for a minute and placed two fingers on his forehead. Sam slumped asleep. He turned to look at Dean defensively.

Dean simply said, "Thank you," and headed out the door.

========================

Claire returned to the cell Castiel was in. Castiel looked dismayed at her, "I told you to get help."

"I did. I think. I found a back way out and prayed to Gabriel. I think I felt like a nudge like he heard it. Now, I'm going to rescue you."

"Claire," Castiel protested.

Claire gave Castiel a very Dean look. "I'm not leaving here without you. You don't leave family behind. You told me to get help, I think I got help. Now, I'm getting you out." She looked at Castiel crossly. "Can you make the sigils appear?"

Castiel sighed and grabbed one of the bars. He cringed and grimaced as pain wracked his body for a moment as the sigils were displayed. Castiel let go of the bars with a sigh of relief.

Claire noted where the sigils were and looked over her shoulder at the door. She walked into the cell and closed the door, leaving it unlocked. "Angel blade?"

Castiel handed her the angel blade, and Claire started to scrape away at the sigils. "This will take forever, Claire. Please for me, just go."

Without looking at him, Claire replied, "Would you leave if I was the one stuck in here and you were the one that could go free?"

"Of course not, but you're…" Castiel stopped, searching for a word.

Claire smiled wryly, "What? A girl? A human? Just a hunter and not an angel?"

They both jumped when they heard a noise. Claire shoved the angel blade behind her to Castiel.

Iniad returned to the cell. "Castiel, did you close the doors to Hell?"

Castiel ignored him, sliding the angel blade up his sleeve.

Iniad glared, "Castiel, I am talking to you."

Castiel raised an eyebrow as he looked at him with disdain. "But, I have nothing to say to you."

Iniad's arm shot through the cell bars, grabbing Claire by the throat and holding her off the ground. He growled, "You will show me some respect."

Castiel reached through the bars with his left arm, ignoring the pain, and pulled Iniad towards him. "I will show you respect when you earn some." Castiel brought his right hand with the angel blade up and stabbed Iniad in the chest. A bright flash of light emanated from Iniad's eyes, mouth, and chest as he collapsed to the floor. Castiel pulled his arms back into the cell. Smoke emanated from the sleeves of his coat, as he groaned in pain.

Claire gasped, "What have you done?"

"What needed to be done." Castiel slid to the ground. 

Claire pulled up the sleeves and saw blistering burns from Castiel's elbows to his hands. "Holy hell."

"Claire, please just go. They will find out what has happened her soon enough," Castiel said raggedly.

Claire didn't respond. She just retrieved Iniad's angel blade and started scratching on the sigils faster. "We'll get out of here."

Castiel's eyes flickered to Iniad's body. A dawning comprehension filled his eyes. "Claire, he reached through the bars and grabbed you, but it didn't hurt him. He must have some protection against the sigils."

Claire left the cell and inspected Iniad's body. She found a talisman on a chain around his next with Enochian symbols carved into it. She turned and held it up to Castiel. "This?"

Castiel smiled, "We're getting out of here, Claire."


	22. Endings are Hard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up that this is the chapter that causes the work to have a major character death tag. I'm so very sorry in advance.

Gabriel quickly assembled the team in the library. Dean stood behind him with his arms crossed, biting his bottom lip.

Gabriel started, "Ok. We know for sure Cassie and Claire are in the angels' sanctuary in Arizona. Claire escaped and was snooping around and figured that out. Claire went back in to try and rescue him. Sam is out for the count for this rescue. What can we do to create a distraction?"

Jack offered, "I can go knock on the door."

Gabriel nodded, "Hold that thought. What else? Anything we can do from home base here?"

Lexie replied, "Reya and I have been researching the compound. I think we can disrupt their energy grid. It's probably not earth-shattering for an angel to be without power, but it could distract them."

"Could also disrupt anything they have in the way of regular alarms, and there are humans among them," Dean said.

Gabriel nods, "Rowena and Mary can do the superpowered sigil to blast the angels away. Then we can cast the spell the put Heaven on lockdown. Problem is if Cassie or Tabbris are in that range of the banishment sigil, they'll be blasted along with them. I'm like fifty-one percent confident that it won't affect me, and it most likely will only give Jack a bad headache."

Dean growled, "So, we got to rescue Cas first."

Reya spoke up, "I think I found a spell on the angel tablet that would let Jack go back and forth between Heaven and Earth. It said something about the child of the Morningstar and the honored one could travel to both realms unhampered and unfettered by the angelic rules of order. It's super flowery."

"That's Dad for you. He never could get to a point," Gabriel snorted. He stood still for a moment thinking. "What if Jack and I went to the front door and distract them, keeping in mind that we don't want to hurt any angels except for any of Anael's dedicated followers. Feel free to smite them. Lexie and Reya turn off the power grid to cause further confusion. Dean and Tabbris locate and save Castiel and Claire, and then Tabbris brings them home. Soon as Rowena and Mary know they are clear, Rowena creates the amplified banishment sigil and then Mary shuts the gates to Heaven. We're back in time for Dr. Sexy at 8." Gabriel stopped and looked at Tabbris, "Assuming you want to stay on Earth."

Tabbris looked at Reya with a quiet intensity before turning to Gabriel. "My home is here now."

Gabriel nodded at her. "You might lose some of your angel juice when the doors are closed."

Tabbris smiled at Reya. "It's worth it."

"Okay, then kiddos. Get your gear. The last one in the garage has to do Dean's laundry," Gabriel smirked.

============

Castiel and Claire crept through the passages of the compound. It obviously was an older hacienda-style fortress that had had additional rooms added to it over time. Some areas seemed relatively new while others seemed extremely old. Claire tugged gently on the back of Castiel's coat when they got to a corner. "This way leads to a staircase out, Cas."

Castiel frowned at Claire slightly. "You should go that way. I have something unfinished that I need to take care of."

Claire glared at him, "Cas."

"Anael is here. I need to try to get her to listen to reason one more time," Castiel protested.

Claire looked at him pleadingly, "Castiel, no. We'll get Jack, Sam, and Dean and take of this together."

"I do not trust her not to reopen the gates of Hell. The angels were willing to listen to her because the demons were a common enemy. If she loses that, angels will begin to question her more. The longer she is left to her devices, the more likely she will undo what we did to Hell."

Claire snarled, "That's not what this is about. You want to save Jack, Dean, and Sam from having to deal with this. That's what you do." Claire glared at him belligerently. "Never mind I spent forty friggin' years trying to figure out how to get your sorry ass out of a piece of rock. But, by all means, go be the Lone Ranger. Never mind that you are all I have." Claire pivoted on her heels and headed for the staircase.

Castiel stared after her, torn between going with her and doing what he thought was right. He started to follow her when he heard Anael's voice behind him, "Castiel, there you are. I don't appreciate what you did to Iniad."

Castiel turned slowly to face her with his angel blade in his hand. "We need to talk."

"By all means, let's talk. My office is at the end of the hall." Anael smiled at him charmingly. Castiel followed Anael into her room.

She sat in a chair behind a large wooden desk. He paused for a moment, looking at her appraisingly, before sitting in the chair across from her. He grimaced from the pain in his arms. He could barely keep hold of the angel blade but tried to hide the pain behind a stiff façade.

"You're injured, Castiel. I will get someone to heal you if you'd like," Anael said sweetly.

"Just tell me what you want," Castiel growled.

"Come with me and rule Heaven. If we can put aside our differences, we can bring Heaven back together again. You can persuade the Nephilim, Jack, to help us create new angels. Everything can be right again."

"I will not persuade Jack to do anything," Castiel looked at her distrustfully.

She purred, "I'll just have to persuade you to persuade him."

============

Gabriel flew the group to outside the angel compound in the hills. The building was immense with stone walls and a Spanish-styled architecture. A front porch wrapped around the front of the building, and there were very few windows on the outside of the structure. "Claire said there was a doorway on the back wall that wasn't heavily guarded. They are downstairs. Tabbris, I believe you and Dean should head that way. Rowena and Mary, you can start drawing the banishment sigil wherever you think its safest. It will have about a one-mile area of effect, so it doesn't have to be that close."

Tabbris grabbed Dean's hand and flew to the back of the building. Dean pointed to a mark on the wall. "Claire left that to show us that this is the way that she entered." Dean quietly opened the door, stepping inside with Tabbris on his heels. Dean saw another mark on the wall. "She tells us to go this way."

Dean followed the marks down some stairs and up a hallway until he entered the room with the cells in it. He frowned as he saw Iniad's body. He looked at Tabbris, "It looks like Cas has already escaped."

Tabbris responded, "We'll need to find him and fly him out of here so that they can cast the spell."

Dean sighed, "He never just stays where you expect to find him. Let's find the idiot so we can take him home."

Tabbris examined the bars. "He's injured. He triggered the wards on his cell bars."

Dean looked concerned, as they left the room to continue looking for him. 

============

Jack and Gabriel approached the front entrance of the building. There was a flurry of activity in the driveway, as people were loading trucks and cars. Gabriel whispered to Jack, "Humans? Why?"

Jack just blinked at Gabriel and walked up to a man loading boxes into the back of a truck, "What is going on?" He smiled innocently.

The man glanced at Jack before turning his attention back to the truck, "Deliverance has been granted. The demonic armies are gone, and we can return to our homes. Salvation has been delivered from above."

Gabriel snorted, and the man stared at him affronted. Gabriel faked a sneezed, "Sorry about that."

"Bless you," the man replied wholeheartedly.

Gabriel and Jack bypassed the rest of the humans and climbed a couple of stairs to the front door. Gabriel paused and looked at Jack before knocking on the door. After a moment, Duma swung the door open and blinked at Gabriel, "You are back."

"Yep, just like a bad penny. I really am Gabriel. This is Jack. We've come to negotiate a deal."

Jack tilted his head at her, "I would like my father and Claire back please."

Gabriel smirked slightly, "Pretty please and I'll give you a pony too as part of the bargain."

Duma said, "Wait here."

Gabriel squinted, "You do know I'm an archangel, right?"

Duma closed the door in his face. Gabriel sighed at Jack, "It would be so much easier just to smite all of them. Really, much easier."

Jack looked intensely at Gabriel, "Stop it. You are reminding me of Lucifer."

Gabriel rolled his eyes.

============

A buzzing noise at her desk alerted Anael. "Excuse me a minute, Castiel." She stepped into a door at the back of the room out of his sight. He looked around the room. It had several different items scattered around the room, including a poster from when she was Sister Jo and a ledger.

He heard the footsteps of a large group moving in the hallway outside of the room. He stood up and headed for the door.

Anael said, "You don't need to do that, Castiel."

Castiel's brow furrowed as he turned to face her, "What's going on?"

"I don't need you anymore," Anael said, suddenly slamming Castiel into a wall.

He yelled in pain, losing the grip on his angel blade. "What are you doing?"

"Gabriel and Jack are here. I wasn't planning on them yet, but it will work."

Castiel looked at Anael confused. "What will work?"

"You'll see. Actually, you won't because you'll be dead. All I needed you for was bait."

Castiel staggered back to his feet. "I will not let you take Jack."

"Oh, sweetie. I don't think you have a choice." Anael slammed him against the wall again.

Castiel's hand closed around his angel blade when he landed next to it. The burns on his hands were cracked and bleeding as he wrapped his hand around the hilt. Castiel stood up again and wiped the blood coming out of the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. Castiel snarled, "I always have a choice."

============

Gabriel and Jack waited patiently on the front porch for Duma to return. Gabriel suddenly tensed up and growled, "Jack, something is wrong."

Jack scrunched his face in confusion. "What?"

Gabriel's face blanched as he doubled over in pain. He screamed, "Asmodeus, no!" Jack looked around confused because he saw no signs that the prince of Hell was present.

Gabriel flung himself against the wall with terror written over his features and whimpered. He curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth crying.

Jack put his hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "Gabriel, there is no Asmodeus. He's not here. I can't feel him. What are you doing?"

The door opened, and six angels came out. Jack looked at them belligerently with his fists curled up in balls. He growled, "What are you doing to Gabriel?"

Jack suddenly recoiled in horror as he felt Castiel die and knew he would be alone. Alone, in a dark corner of a small house, naked and shivering in fear. His mother and Castiel, the only two people who loved him gone. He was new and didn't know who would protect him. His father was Castiel, but Castiel was gone. He screamed, "Father," and collapsed on the porch.

Lexie's voice anxiously came over Rowena's commlink, "Rowena, Gabriel and Jack are in trouble. They are screaming about something."

Mary and Rowena ran through the group of humans until they could see the front door. One of the angels was putting handcuffs on Gabriel while he was curled in a fetal position. Another was approaching Jack's shivering figure.

Rowena yelled,"Manate." The angels froze in place. Rowena stood still concentrating on the spell, while Mary ran to the porch and climbed the stairs. She hastily painted a smaller angel sigil on the door and placed her hand on it. The angels holding Jack and Gabriel were blown away in a bright flash of light. Jack screamed in pain, as the banishment spell tore at his grace. Mary pulled Jack off the porch of the building into the dirt. When he got him about twenty feet away, Jack started to relax and sobbed quietly.

Rowena knelt next to him and put her arms around him. "Now, now, laddie. Everything is okay. Everything will be okay."

Mary returned to the porch and pulled Gabriel next to Jack. She glanced up and realized that the humans had started to gather around them. An older man said, "They're demons. They must be. Did you see what they did to Brother Jonas and the others?"

Rowena glared at them, "Can't you see that they were hurting this boy? What is the matter with you?"

One of the men growled, "Maybe they're witches." The humans crowded around them more closely.

Gabriel's eyes opened slowly, and then he stood up with a menacing look. "I am Gabriel, that stands in the presence of God, and am sent to speak unto thee." His eyes sparked blue and his wings spread behind him. "Leave from this place. It is full of false prophets. Go forth and do whatever the hell it is you want to do but get the fuck out of here." The sky opened with a bolt of lightning, and the loud sound of thunder rumbled through the hills.

As the humans fled the area, Gabriel's stance relaxed, and his wings disappeared. He turned to Rowena and Mary, "Thank you, ladies." He walked over to the front porch but didn't climb the steps. He held his hand out and a blue light lit the area. Runes shimmered and appeared on the porch. "Dammit," he grumbled. "Can't believe I fell for that one."

He held out his hands and the runes dissipated. He turned to where Jack was staggering to his feet. "Come on, Jack. I don't think they are going to great us in a friendly, let's get to know each other way. So, we'll have to do this the hard way. Lexie, cupcake, could you please surge their power grid."

Lexie's voice answered in his commlink, "You got it, pop tart."

"I love that girl," Gabriel waggled his eyebrows before holding out his hand. Energy emanated from his hand and the door exploded into a shower of splinters. He bellowed, "Hey, guys! I'm back. I know you missed me." He strode through the front door with Jack close on his heels.

============

Castiel heard the crack of thunder outside and then the lights flickered off. He grunted to Anael, "Sister. Please put down your blade. It's over. You cannot defeat Gabriel."

Anael smiled at Castiel predatorily, "It's over when I say it's over." Castiel and Anael started to circle each other slowly. They slashed and parried in a slow deliberate fashion. Castiel cut a deep gouge in Anael's arm. She looked at him angrily, whirled about and stabbed Castiel deep in the shoulder, narrowly missing his heart. Castiel grimaced in pain. He fell back a moment and watched her for any sign of weakness. When she lunged at him, he moved aside and dodged her, slicing her other arm.

"Nice try, Castiel. But, you're just a regular angel. I'm me." She growled in Enochian, "Tal Un Gal." Castiel flew against the far wall. He grimaced as he stood back up and strode forcefully towards her. She gestured with her hand and he was flung against another wall, his angel blade landing several feet away from him. Anael smiled. As Castiel staggered up again, she threw her angel blade at him and it pierced his abdomen. She summoned her angel blade to her hand and cut him deeply from his left shoulder to his right hip. Castiel collapsed, grace and blood leaking out of his body in several places.

As Anael lifted her angel blade to do one final strike to Castiel's prone figure, the door swung open. Claire was framed in the doorway, pointing a gun at Anael. "Get away from my father, bitch," she growled as she pulled the trigger on the gun. The bullet hit Anael in the temple.

Anael put her hand to her face and wiped the blood away. She turned to face Claire and sneered, "You think you can hurt me?"

Without responding, Claire fired another round.

Anael left Castiel and strode towards Claire. Claire backed up, continuing to shoot until her back hit the wall. Castiel climbed slowly to his feet and staggered towards them before falling back to his knees again. More grace spilled from his body, as he yelled, "Claire."

Anael reached out her hand towards Claire. Claire shot her last bullet and then swung at Anael with her angel blade. Anael dodged easily and laughed, "You really think you can hurt me?"

Claire smiled, "The point wasn't to hurt you. It was to distract you." She made one more fruitless swing at Anael. Anael grabbed her arm and forced the angel blade out of her hand.

At that moment, Dean charged into the room towards Anael. "Get away from her."

Anael looked over her shoulder at Dean and then placed her hand on Claire's forehead. Claire screamed and collapsed in a heap, smoke coming out of her eyes.

Dean froze with his face slack-jawed. He whispered hoarsely, "Claire?"

Tabbris charged in front of him, "No."

Anael turned to face Tabbris. "You caused so much trouble. I got the angel tablet only partially reconstructed because of you. You have been a thorn in my side since you got promoted from the records pool." Tabbris charged at her with her angel blade drawn, and the two started a deadly dance of feinting and parrying.

Dean ran to Claire and knelt next to her. He felt numb, as he glanced over to where Castiel was struggling to move.

When he realized he couldn't help Claire, Dean stood and charged at Anael, but she flung him against the wall. He hit the wall with a loud thud. Tabbris faltered as Anael managed to stab her in the side and fell backward. Anael pulled back the angel blade to stab her again. Tabbris gritted her teeth, waiting for the final strike. Suddenly, an angel blade pierced Anael's chest from behind with a flash of light from the grace escaping her eyes and chest. Anael collapsed after she died, her wings scorched across the floor of the room. Castiel stood behind her for a minute, his angel blade still in his hand, before falling to the floor again. Castiel crawled towards Claire with a trail of blood following in his wake.

Castiel tried to put what little grace he had left into healing Claire. He kept repeating the word, "No."

Finally, Dean pulled Castiel's hand away from her face and put his arms around both of them. Dean whispered, "She's gone, love. She's gone. Let's go home, Cas. Let's take her home. "

Tabbris looked at the trio with tears flowing down her cheeks. She put her hands on Castiel's and Dean's shoulders and flew the four of them home.

============

Gabriel and Jack were fighting a small group of angels in one of the front rooms when Lexie's voice said over the commlink, "Rowena, Cas and Tabbris are out of the building. You can blast the angels."

Gabriel braced himself as the blast of Rowena's amplified sigil threatened to blast back to Heaven. Jack put his hand on Gabriel's shoulder steadying him.

Rowena exclaimed a moment later, "We've closed the gates to Heaven."

Lexie answered solemnly, "It's time for everyone to come home."

Sam had joined Lexie and Reya right as she said told everyone to come home. He noticed Tabbris' arrival in the war room before Lexie and Reya and headed towards her. He gasped as he saw the condition Castiel was, but it wasn't until he reached Dean's shoulder that he realized what had happened to Claire.

Dean gave Sam a pained look, begging him for aid.

Sam knelt in front of Castiel, who rocked Claire slowly back and forth even as additional blood and grace seeped out of his body. "Cas, I've got her. Let go," Sam said gently.

"We need to fix this, Sam. We need to fix her," Castiel looked at Sam. "I've come back from dying several times. We can fix this."

Sam said soothingly, "Ok, Cas, ok. I'll go take care of her. I'll go look stuff up in the lore. I'll find something. You just let Dean help you." Sam gave Castiel a mournful look.

Castiel squinted at Sam and finally released his hold on Claire's body. He murmured, "I trust you to take care of her, Sam. I trust you."

Sam gave a stricken look at Dean but picked up Claire's body. "I'll take her to her room, Cas."

Dean picked up Castiel. He pleaded, "Whoever can help me, help me." Dean carried Castiel to his room and placed him on the bed. 

Tabbris came up beside Dean and put her fingers on Castiel's forehead. She said, "I can heal his vessel's physical wounds, I cannot repair his grace."

Castiel's face was emotionless as he looked at Dean. Dean stared at him intently before realizing that Castiel wasn't seeing him. He was looking past him at the wall. Dean asked quietly, "Cas, you ok there?"

Castiel didn't respond. After several seconds, his eyes closed.

Gabriel and Jack rushed into the room a few minutes later. Gabriel put his hand on Castiel, and he glowed briefly. He looked at Dean concerned, "I can't really help him. Not that type of damage. Anael had infused herself with all that extra power from the remnants of the angel tablet and the power of the prophets. His grace will just need time to heal."

Jack looked around, "Where is Claire?"

Dean looked away and whispered, "Her room, but it isn't good, Jack."

Jack strode out of the room. Dean looked at Gabriel helplessly and asked, "Will Cas be okay?"

Gabriel put his hand on Castiel's forehead and the blood and remnants of his dirty clothes disappeared. Gabriel pulled the covers over him. "His celestial self is pretty badly damaged, but I think he'll be okay in time. But, hey Dean, the doors to Heaven and Hell are closed so it will be easy street from here on out."

Dean looked at him with tears in his eyes, "But at what cost?"

============

Jack ran into the room where Sam stood next to the bed with Claire's body.

Sam hesitated before asking, "Is there anything you can do?"

Jack stared at her body. He whispered, "She's with her parents and Kaia now. She is where she belongs. It wouldn't be right to bring her back from Heaven."

"She's not stuck in the veil because we shut the gates of Heaven?"

Jack put his hand on Sam's arm. "No, this spell to close the gates doesn't prevent souls from entering Heaven. It only prevents angels from leaving it. I won't leave the doors closed forever, Sam. We just need to reorganize Heaven and put things right. Gabriel told me he will help me figure out what to do."

Sam's shoulders started to shake, "I told Cas I would fix this. I told him…"

Gabriel called from the doorway softly, "There's nothing to fix, Sam. Humans have a limited shelf life on earth. She just reached the end of hers. Does it suck? Yeah. It's the way you guys are designed."

"Dean and I have broken that rule so many times to benefit us."

Gabriel took Sam's hand, "And look at how much that has cost you, how much pain have you had to endure because of it. Ask your mother if she doesn't still feel at odds with being back here after being in Heaven."

"What do I tell, Cas?" Tears streamed down Sam's cheek. "I promised him I could fix it."

"I'll tell him," Jack said. "I'm his son. She is my sister. I'll tell him."

Gabriel put a hand on Sam's shoulder and squeezed it before leaving. Lexie entered the room and stood next to Sam quietly. Jack looked at the two of them. "Sam, I'll take care of getting her ready for a hunter's funeral. You go help Dean and yourself."

Sam and Lexie walked into the hallway. Sam watched as Mary entered Dean's room. Lexie tugged Sam's hand, "Let's go talk for a few minutes and give your mom and Dean a minute." Sam followed Lexie into his room.

She wrapped her arms around him. He leaned over until his forehead touched hers. She rubbed his back and whispered, "Let it out, big guy."

Sam fell apart in shuddering sobs. Lexie hummed as she rubbed his back. Sam pulled back after a moment, "I should have been there. Maybe, if I had been, this wouldn't have happened."

"You were hurt, Sam. You probably shouldn't even be up yet. You almost died. You didn't get Cas and Claire captured," Lexie murmured reassuringly.

Sam reiterated, "But I should have been there."

============

Dean was sitting on a chair next to the bed when Mary entered the bedroom. She looked at Castiel concerned, "How is he?"

"Gabriel says it will just take time," Dean said in a flat tone.

"I'm sorry, Dean."

Dean closed his eyes, "She was like a daughter to us. I remember how prickly she was when we first found her. Hedgehogs have fewer quills. But she grew on us like a fungus."

"Do you need anything? Food? Water? Hugs?" Mary asked.

Dean sighed and whispered, "I love hugs."

Mary hugged him tightly. "I love you, Dean. Cas too."

"I was less than a minute too late, Mom. One minute."

Mary kissed his forehead, "Don't play what-ifs or might-have-beens, Dean. It won't make a difference."

Dean started to rise, "I have to call Alex."

Mary pushed him back firmly, "I'll take care of everything. You just help Cas. I'll be back in a little bit."

Dean shrugged out of his clothes except for his boxer shorts. He pulled back the covers, crawled into bed next to Castiel, and closed his eyes.


	23. Heaven Can't Wait

When Castiel woke up, Jack was sitting in the chair next to him. He tried to talk but all that came out was a hoarse whisper, "Jack."

"Hello, Father. Dean was here, but Sam just dragged him out to forcibly make him take a shower," Jack gave Castiel a gentle smile.

"How long?" Castiel croaked.

"Three days. I wish I could heal you, but it's your grace that is damaged and I don't know how to fix that yet. Maybe someday, I'll figure that out. I asked Gabriel if I should try, but he's afraid if I do it wrong that I could damage you further." Jack reached over and squeezed Castiel's hand.

"Claire?"

Jack swallowed and looked away for a moment and then turned back to Castiel, "She's in Heaven with Kaia. She's happy. Sam tried, but she had already crossed the veil."

Castiel stared at the ceiling and whispered, "I failed her, just like I failed her parents."

"You didn't fail her. She made her choice. She knew what attacking Anael would result in. You can't make her choice about you. It's not fair to how brave and ferocious she was."

Castiel sighed, "When did you become so wise?"

Jack gave a short laugh, "My father taught me that."

"Did we succeed in closing the gates?"

Jack answered, "We did. No angel can get out now."

"Gabriel and Tabby?"

"On this side of the wall. They didn't want to go back."

Castiel frowned, "It will be strange not seeing any of my other brothers and sisters."

Jack hesitated, "I can travel between Heaven and Earth."

Castiel looked at him intently, "Can you take someone with you?"

Jack nodded, "Gabriel and I already visited once."

"That will be good to be able to get angelic backup in case of emergencies."

Jack hesitated before saying, "I’m moving to Heaven full-time, Father. They need me there. Gabriel is helping me figure out how to create additional angels to shore up the numbers, so we can restore Heaven to the way it is supposed to be."

Castiel froze. He shook a little bit, "If that is what you think is best, we'll go there. I will help you rebuild it."

"Your place is with Dean and Sam." Jack moved from the chair to sit on the edge of Castiel's bed. "You told my mother that you would raise me and protect me. You have, and I've learned a lot about you. You, Dean, and Sam have made me who I am. But, there comes a time when the bird must leave the nest. Your home has been and always will be with Sam and Dean. But I, I need to do the one thing my biological father asked me to. He said the angels would need someone help them find the way again. I think that's my destiny. There are so few. We can make more and hopefully have them be humanity's caretakers the way they are supposed to be."

"I should go with you," Castiel protested.

Jack leaned over and kissed Castiel's cheek. "I refuse to take you away from Dean. He needs you. Sam needs you. Humanity needs you."

Castiel looked at him sorrowfully. "Jack…"

"You're the only thing that makes Dean as happy as cowboys and pies. I don't want him to be like an angry bear," Jack smiled. "It will be fine. I won't forget what you taught me. I promise."

Castiel tried to keep the emotion out of his face, but a tear started to trickle down. Jack wiped it away with his thumb. "Claire would have wanted you to stay here. She didn't want you and Dean to be separated." Jack pulled out Claire's locket and held it out to Castiel. "She thought of the two of you as her parents, the same way I do."

Castiel looked like he wanted to protest again, but Jack put a finger to his lips. "There's that song Dean likes to play that there that says there will be peace when you are done and lay your weary head to rest. It's your turn to do that. You've saved Earth and closed the gates. You deserve a break. Now, it's my turn to take up the mantle. My mother believed I would do good things. You've got to give me that chance."

Castiel turned away to stare at the wall and murmured, "But you already have."

"There is more I must do. You are not ready to walk around on your own, but Claire's funeral is later today after Alex and Donna arrive. Do you want to attend?" Jack inquired.

Castiel nodded without a word.

The door opened, and a freshly showered Dean entered carrying a plate of sandwiches and a cup of coffee. He said quietly, "You're awake, Sunshine."

Jack got up to leave. "I'll be back in a little while." He smiled at Dean as he left the room.

Dean sat on the bed and put the dishes on the nightstand. "Coffee or sandwiches? Gabe said you would be low on grace, so you might be hungry."

"Coffee first," Castiel smiled slightly. 

"They couldn't fix your hands well because the damage was caused by sigils. Can you hold it?" Dean looked worried.

Castiel grimaced up pushed himself back to sit leaning against the headboard. "I'm fine." He took the cup from Dean and handed him the locket. Dean looked at him questioningly. Castiel replied quietly, "It was Claire's."

Dean opened the locket and stared at the pictures inside. Dean choked up, and his shoulders shook for a moment until he managed to get his emotions under control. "She saved us, Cas. She saved us from the amber, she saved you from Anael. She wasn't a chosen vessel, she wasn't an angel, she had no superpowers. She was just her, and she helped save the world."

The dam broke, and Castiel put the coffee down and buried his face into Dean's shoulder as he cried brokenly. Dean held him tightly until the sobs subsided. Dean hesitated before asking, "Are you going with Jack? To Heaven?"

Castiel looked at him intently, blue eyes staring deep into green ones. Several long minutes passed before Castiel replied, "No, I'm letting the baby bird fly. I’m sorry to say that you are stuck with me."

Dean sighed in relief. "Gabe said he was going to help Jack. I don’t know whether to be relieved or worried."

Castiel huffed, "He'll be bored in a few weeks. Gabriel hates Heaven."

"Well, I got to say. If I had to choose between porn stars and Heaven, I know what my choice would be."

Castiel stared at him through narrowed eyes.

Dean gulped, "My choice would be dorky angels who give up everything for me." He leaned over and kissed Castiel's forehead.

A soft knock sounded at the door. The door opened, and Sam stepped in hesitantly. "Jack told me you were awake, Cas. I just wanted to see if you were feeling ok." Sam looked at Castiel cautiously.

"It's ok, Sam, come in," Castiel answered.

Sam looked him mournfully, "I'm sorry, Cas."

Castiel sighed at both brothers. "In the end, it's my fault. She wanted to leave and get help, but I refused. I wanted to confront Anael. I have caused the deaths of so many I loved."

Sam set on the end of Castiel's bed. He said sadly, "We all have."

====================

The funeral pyre was built on the shores of a lake near the Canadian bunker. Dean used what little gas he had left in the Impala to drive to the site. Castiel sat next to him, huddled in blankets. Sam and Jack sat in the backseat. Gabriel and Tabbris flew the rest of the mourners to the site, but Dean thought Claire would like Baby to be there.

When Dean got out of the Impala, he walked over and gave Donna and Alex long overdue hugs before walking around to help Castiel get out of the car.

Tabbris stood next to the pyre with one arm around Reya, looking solemn. Lexie stood next to them, waiting for Sam to join her. The usually boisterous Gabriel was quietly standing next to Lexie, oddly enough in a suit. Mary and Rowena quietly stood together on the far side. 

Castiel leaned heavily against Dean, feeling like he was going to fall over but determined to pay the proper respects to the closest thing that he would ever have to a daughter.

Sam poured the gasoline on the edge of the pyre. He walked over and stood next to Lexie and draped an arm around her. 

Jack cleared his throat, "When my mother died. Sam asked me if I wanted to say something when we held her funeral. I didn't know what to say, so he said to say thank you. And that you are sorry. And you hope that they are somewhere without sadness or pain. You hope they are somewhere better and you say goodbye. I don't have to hope that Claire is somewhere better. I know she is reunited with the only person that she was ever in love with. She is with her parents who she hasn't seen in a long time. This is not really goodbye to Claire. This is I'll see you again someday in happier times. However, I do want to say thank you, Claire."

Lexie spoke up quietly, "When Claire first approached me about Heavens Battle and rescuing an angel, I thought she was delusional. But, she spoke with such conviction that I believed her and because of that conviction, a series of events happened that changed the world. She never gave up on family. Because she didn't give up on family, we have this new extended family. I'll miss her."

Sam looked around at the group, "Claire once went into a rift to a world that she didn't know to rescue me and Dean because she thought of us as family. A place she knew was dangerous. She saved us then. And then she saved us again. And then she saved Cas. She was fearless. My life is far better for knowing her."

Dean looked at Castiel, but he shook his head mutely. Dean closed his eyes and said, "Claire once told me. 'Did you ... did you see that? Did that go in the hole? I wasn't watching. Did the ball go in the hole?' She was quoting the movie, Happy Gilmore, while we were playing mini-golf. She never missed an opportunity to be a smartass with me. I gave her every reason to hate me forever after we first got to know each other, but she forgave me, and she came to love me. She became like a daughter to me. She told me to take care of her doof, and I always will. Until we are together again, I'll miss her." Dean lit his lighter and threw it on the pyre. Everyone stood silently as the flames licked the sky until only ash remained.

====================

A few days later, Dean, Sam, and Gabriel returned to see what was left of the Kansas bunker. Dean inspected the cracks in the walls. "Think it's structurally sound?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Maybe or maybe not."

Dean snorted, "That's real helpful."

Gabriel put his hand on the wall. A faint glow lit up the walls as things slowly fixed themselves. Gabriel gave them a snarky look, "Don't say I never did anything for you guys."

Sam smiled at him appreciatively. "Actually, Gabriel. Thank you for everything."

"Ah, shucks, it was nothing, big guy," Gabriel waggled his eyebrows suggestively when he said big guy.

Sam shook his head, "I’m serious. What you did for us. I know you don't like fighting but you went toe-to-toe with everything for us."

"What? You guys saved me from Asmobutt. What else was I going to do? I do miss porn though, so in a few days, I'm going to take off. I'll be around though from time to time. I'll be in and out of Heaven helping Jack sort things out and get him started on the right path. It's a huge responsibility being the only archangel left. I hate responsibility. Absolutely despise it. But what's an angel to do? And if you ever change your mind about being an actor, Sammy, just pray to me. I'll be there in a heartbeat." Gabriel grinned. 

Dean finished surveying the bunker. "Thanks, Gabe. It's as good as new."

Gabriel responded cheekily, "I re-virginated it. It's back to pristine, un-Winchestered shape. You can get it all disgusting again real soon."

Gabriel flew them back to the Canadian bunker.

====================

Reya and Tabbris sat on the bed in Reya's room. Reya ran her fingers through Tabbris' hair, "What are we going to do now, Tabby?"

Tabbris looked thoughtfully, "You are still a target, sadly enough. I feel safer if we remain in one of the bunkers."

"I don't like that, Tabby. I helped people before when I ran my crystal shop. It wasn't the big time or anything, but I helped some people," Reya protested.

"Maybe we can compromise. We can stay most of our time in the bunker but go to various places in a random order for you to help people."

"Ren fairs!"

Tabbris looked at her confused.

"I can have a booth at Renaissance festivals and do psychic readings and tarot cards. I can introduce you to the fine points of fair cuisine, like turkey legs and haggis and…"

"I don't eat."

Reya laughed, "It will be hilarious. An angel of the Lord and a prophet going around telling people their futures. We could have a sitcom."

"I’m not sure that is the best use of your abilities."

Reya snorted, "Learn to live a little, Tabby. We can go anywhere and do anything."

Tabbris looked at her concerned, "What part of a being target did you not understand?"

Reya smiled, "I'll be okay, I have an angel looking over me." She pounced on top of Tabby and playfully wrestled her until she wound up on top of her on the bed. She kissed both of Tabby's cheeks, her forehead, and the tip of her nose before saying, "I love you." 

Tabbris said, "Me too, you." She pulled Reya's face close and kissed her passionately. After a minute, the light bulbs in the room exploded.

====================

Dean, Castiel, and Sam were sitting at the table in the kitchen, drinking a beer when Mary and Rowena entered. Mary looked at the trio, "Hi boys. So, are you going back to Kansas?"

Dean responded, "Thinking about it. What are the two of you going to do now that we saved the world?"

Rowena stared at him a moment before answering, "Dean, I'm still trying to wipe my slate clean. There are still monsters out there. Your mom and I hunt them, both the human and the non-human kind."

Mary continued, "We'd like to use the Kansas bunker as our base of operations. So, we'd have a home to come back to when we aren't hunting."

Sam caught Dean's eyes before answering, "Knock yourself out. I think Tabbris and Reya are planning to use that as a home base too if you are okay with that."

Mary responded, "Of course, they're family now."

Rowena said brightly, "It can be useful to have an angel around once in a while. I mean look what you've done with yours." She winked at Castiel.

Castiel said dryly, "I think Tabby qualifies at Reya's angel."

"Ahhh, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing. Dean shares you with Sam." Rowena smiled.

Castiel rolled his eyes, "I’m not Dean's pet."

"If he's a pet, he'd be the worst trained one ever," Dean snorted. "He always gets himself lost."

Sam smirked, "I don't know. He always comes when you call. And he's been known to fetch things for you."

Castiel growled, "Just because my grace is currently depleted does not mean that I cannot smite you, Sam Winchester."

"Now, now, I didn't mean to cause a ruckus, dears," Rowena interjected.

Mary sighed, "Of course you meant to cause a ruckus. It's all you know how to do." 

Rowena huffed, "Well, I never…"

Dean quipped, "What, been to fifth base?"

Castiel looked at him, "Baseball only has four bases. Why are you always talking about fifth base?"

Sam choked on the sip of the beer he had just taken and spewed it across the table.

Rowena looked hopeful, "Can I please explain it to him?"

Dean, Sam, and Mary at the same time roared, "No."

Rowena muttered, "Party poopers," as she dramatically left the room.

Mary looked between her boys, "Seriously, it's hard taking her anywhere. The trouble she gets us in."

Sam smiled, "But you love her?"

Mary looked uncomfortable for a moment but then replied, "Yes, yes, I do. I love you, boys." She turned to follow Rowena.

Dean snorted as he shook his head, "Who would have thought our mom would wind up with Crowley's mom. Crowley would have found it funny to be our step-brother."

Castiel frowned, "I find that thought disturbing. However, I do want one of you to explain fifth base to me before I go look it up on the internet."

"Errrr, Cas, I do that later," Dean answered. "When we're alone."

Understanding dawned on Castiel's face, "Oh, it's a sexual euphemism, like third-base for having sex."

Sam protested, "Let's stop this conversation right here before I need brain bleach."

Dean started laughing until he almost fell out of the chair. Sam looked at him quizzically. Dean said, "Remember that time I said that Cas didn't live in my ass."

Sam got up and started to walk out of the room, "And I'm out of here."

Dean said, "Hey, Sam, wait."

Sam begrudgingly paused. Dean motioned for him to come sit back at the table. Sam sat down mistrustfully.

Dean said, "Are you going to go back to Kansas?"

"What do you want to do?" Sam tensed up.

Dean cleared his throat nervously. "Well, the world out there is a whole new kind of weird. I feel like I'm just too damned old to learn a lot of new tricks. I want to do what we talked about before if Cas is willing. I want to go live up in the mountains somewhere away from people and just watch the sunrise and sunset, go fishing, and maybe the normal type of hunting. Sure, I'll help when if someone needs me, but mostly I just want to hang out and not misplace Cas anymore. But, there's always room for you to come too. There ain't no me if there ain't no you."

Castiel said, "I'd like that very much, Dean." He reached over and squeezed his hand.

Sam hesitated before saying, "Claire made me an identity. She thought that maybe I would like to go to college if the world would stop trying to end. She built Lexie one too. I know I'm kind of old, but I thought I might go to law school and finish what I started before we had to save the world. But, you need to make that cabin big enough for two more, because I'll be up there to visit you every chance I get."

"Cas can fly again too, so it won't be a hardship to come visit you," Dean smiled.

Sam grinned, "Let's hope this time we saved the world sticks."

Castiel said, "I'll drink to that," and lifted his beer. The three of them clinked their bottles together before taking another drink.

Jack walked into the kitchen. "Hello. I was looking for you. Well, I knew where you were, but I needed to come talk to you."

"Take a seat, Jack," Dean answered. "Grab a beer if you want one. If you're old enough to run Heaven, you're old enough for beer."

Jack smiled but stayed standing, "Gabriel and I are going to take off for Heaven. I'm not sure when I'll be back because I want to get started on fixing things immediately. It seems like everything here has calmed down, so if it's okay with you…"

Castiel smiled sadly at Jack, "You don't have to ask us for permission on anything anymore. You're ready to do the good things your mother dreamed about." Castiel stood up and walked over to Jack, hugging him tightly. "But if you ever need me for anything, anything at all, you come to me. I will always be here to help you if you need me."

Sam stood up and put his arms around Jack and Castiel, "Me too. I'm so proud of you, Jack."

Dean stood up, "All right, well… two salty hunters, one half-angel kid, and a dude who just came back from the dead. Repeatedly. Team Free Will 2.0. Here we go." He hugged the trio.

Gabriel appeared in the room with the rustle of feathers, eating a candy bar. He looked at them, "Can I get in on this action?"

Dean snorted as the group hug ended. Jack walked over to Gabriel. Jack smiled, "I'll see all of you soon. I already said goodbye to the others. I love you."

Dean said, "Go get them and make us proud, tiger."

After Jack and Gabriel disappeared, Castiel put his head on Dean's shoulder with a shuddering sigh. Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel. Sam hugged them both. Sam said quietly, "Family don't end with blood."


	24. Epilogue

Four years later

The music of Led Zeppelin blared through the bunker, as Dean finished putting up the Happy Graduation sign across the entryway to the library. He and Castiel arrived the previous day to ready the bunker for Sam and Lexie's graduation party. Tabbris had left to go pick them up from college, while Reya and Castiel prepared food in the kitchen.

Dean leaned back to survey his work. The banner looked a little crooked, but it was close enough. The bunker door clanged, and he glanced up to see that Rowena and Mary had arrived. Dean smiled at them, "Hey, Mom, Rowena. Good to see you!" Dean jumped down from the ladder, groaning as his knee grated a little bit upon landing. Getting older truly sucked.

"Hi, honey," Mary said, as she walked over to Dean and gave him a tight hug. 

Rowena looked up and down Dean, "Married life seems to be suiting you, lad. Your middle has grown a little bit."

Dean sighed, "Too many cheeseburgers and not enough exercise. How's the hunting business?"

"We just took out a nest of ghouls outside of Indianapolis. The same old story," Mary smiled. "How's the fishing business?"

Dean had grown slightly bored over the years, so he and Castiel started a fishing shop and boat rental place on a lake in Washington. "Business is good. Life is good. We did have to take out a werewolf a few months ago. It ate one of our tourists. That stank."

Castiel came out of the kitchen and walked over to Rowena and Mary, kissing them each on the cheek. He smiled as he said, "It is good to see you." Castiel took their suitcases and disappeared into the hallway to put them in their room.

Rowena smirked, "You domesticated an angel. You must be so proud."

Dean rolled his eyes at her. With the rustle of feathers, Sam, Tabbris, and Lexie appeared in the bunker. Dean pulled Sam into a tight hug, "Congrats, little bro. You finally did it." He then looked at Lexie and noticed her stomach was more rounded than the last time he saw her, "It looks like you finally did something else too."

Mary's jaw dropped, "I'm finally going to have a baby to spoil?"

Rowena clapped her hands together, "Can we train her to be a witch?"

Tabbris said, "It's a boy."

Sam gave her a bitch face, "We didn't want to know that. We wanted to be surprised."

Tabbris arched an eyebrow. "My apologies."

Dean pulled Lexie into a hug. "Congrats, little sis."

Reya entered the room, eating a celery stick. "By the way, if I didn't mention it, Sam and Lexie are having a son. I saw it in a vision last night."

Sam glared at Tabbris, "Is that how you know?"

Tabbris beamed innocently at them, while Reya hugged Sam and Lexie. 

Castiel walked into the room and stared at Sam's and Lexie's suitcases and then at Dean. Dean sighed and picked up the suitcases. Dean huffed, "Let me take these to your room, Sam. I'll be right back."

Sam exclaimed, "Cas," and his arms swallowed Castiel in a hug. 

Castiel hugged him back and responded, "It's good to see you, Sam. And congratulations on the baby. Reya told me earlier that she had a vision…"

Sam muttered, "Damn psychics," as he pulled away. Castiel walked over to Lexie and kissed her cheek.

The room was suddenly bathed in what looked like purple and green disco lights before Gabriel appeared with Jack and two bottles of champagne. Gabriel cheered, "The party can start now, Gabriel is here." Gabriel inspected Lexie, "What do we have here? A baby moose?"

Rowena smirked, "A moosketeer."

Jack said more courteously, "Congratulations, Lexie. I'm happy to have more family."

Lexie answered, "Thank you, Jack and everyone!"

Castiel hugged Jack, "How is Heaven?"

Dean returned to the room, "Any less dickish?"

Jack gave a long-suffering sigh and looked at Castiel for help as he said, "Not all angels are dicks, Dean."

Dean snorted, "All but present company excluded."

Gabriel said, "It's going well. Jack, there has everyone back working at the right job. He's got a bunch of fledglings running around gumming up the works while they are getting trained. A few more years and we'll have some cherubs back on earth helping people get their groove on."

Dean's brows furrowed, "Are fledglings like babies?"

"They are celestial beings of light about half the size of the Chrysler building," Gabriel answered. "It's okay, they grow on you. Until they get to be the size of the Chrysler building. It's awful when they hit the terrible twos."

Jack pulled out a list, "Can we sit down? I have a list of things I'm supposed to tell you, and it might take a few minutes."

"Wait, we have burgers," Reya exclaimed. 

After a flurry of activity, everyone settled at the table with hamburgers and beers. Lexie handed her beer to Dean and drank water instead.

Jack opened the list, "Okay, here goes. Bobby said it's about time the idgits got married, meaning Dean and Cas. Congrats to Sam for graduating and asked how long it would be until there were mini idgits. I guess when I go back I can answer that one."

Sam and Dean exchanged looks and fond smiles, remembering the man that was their father in every way that mattered.

Jack continued, "Ellen and Jo said that they totally knew that Dean and Cas were a thing. They were pleased that Sam went back to school and mostly got out of the life. They told me to tell Lexie that if the boys misbehave to whack them with a two-by-four. I don't actually think Lexie should do that." He looked at her concerned.

Lexie snorted, "I have other ways of making Sam behave."

Dean nodded and gave Sam a knowing look. Sam glared back at Dean.

Jack looked down further on the list, "Charlie said to tell Dean that she told him that Castiel was dreamy. She also asked whether hover cars existed yet because she had a bet with Dean and wanted to know if she could collect yet."

Dean nodded, "Still no hover cars, so I'm winning."

Jack squinted a little bit as he read from the list, "Rufus Turner said to drink some Johnny Walker Blue Label to honor the occasion. Amelia and Jimmy Novak told me to thank Castiel for everything."

Castiel looked stricken and stared down at the uneaten hamburger on his plate.

Jack caught his eye, "They wanted me to emphasize how proud they are of the person that Claire became. And they believe that you played a significant role in that."

Dean looped an arm around Castiel and pulled him close, kissing his forehead.

Jack hesitated before reading the next item on the list, "Claire said to say thank you. She's very happy to be back with Kaia. She loves you, and she's happy the doofs finally got together officially." Jack looked at Castiel with a shimmer of tears in his eyes. "She means it, Father. She's happy, and she's happy for you."

Castiel looked away. Sam leaned over and squeezed his shoulder.

Jack smiled as he said, "Jody said to keep kicking it in the ass. And finally, John Winchester said he's sorry that he didn't put you boys first, but he's damn proud of the men you became. He's happy that both of you found someone to love and that Sam finished school."

Jack looked relieved as he finished the list. Sam and Dean were looking at each other frozen. Mary swallowed looking away. Dean bit his lip as a single tear slid down his cheek. He finally said, "Well, look at that, Sam. We finally got the approval of our absentee father. There's hope for kids of absentee fathers everywhere. It's never too late."

Sam said, "I'll never do anything but put my son first."

Dean responded, "Damn straight or I'd kick your sorry ass."

Jack looked distressed, "I'm sorry if the letters upset anyone. I thought it would make you happy to know the wishes of some of your loved ones."

Castiel responded, "No Jack, it's good. Celebrations are about family. Not all family can be present."

Sam looked at Jack, "Thank you. I loved hearing from them."

Dean murmured, "Me too."

Jack looked relieved as he relaxed in his chair. 

Gabriel frowned at Castiel, "Just so you know, Cassie. Even if our dad never said it, I'm proud of you. You did good, kid. And aren't you glad you didn't step on that fish I told you not to like a couple of billion years ago? You wouldn't have Dean-o if you had. Just think, Dean, if Cas had just misstepped that one time and ruined Dad's big plans for that little fish, you wouldn't be here. Keep in mind, he was the size of a skyscraper back then. Or maybe you would have been here but been a green sludge monster instead. Who knows how evolution would have worked? By the way, guys, next time can I bring Kali? We're sort of a thing again."

"Um, no," Sam replied. "Baby on board."

Gabriel said, "Geez. Try to murder some people once and they hold it against you forever. Welp, it's been fun, kids, but I'm out of here. Congrats Sam on the baby and stuff." Gabriel snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Castiel rolled his eyes, "He actually doesn't need to snap his fingers when he leaves. Drama queen."

Dean leaned back in his chair, watching his family interact. He never thought he would have this. He watched as Sam kept leaning over to kiss Lexie on the cheek or to listen to her intently. He smiled softly. He stood up, and Castiel looked at him questioningly.

Dean said, "Beer." He walked to the kitchen pulled out several beers and then headed to the garage. They had retired Baby to the bunker when it became impossible for Dean to get gas for her. It made him feel like a dinosaur that he could no longer use her, but she was 95 years old now. Everything changed, everything continued to change.

He sat on the hood and leaned backed on the car, smiling at the ceiling of the garage that Castiel had painted black and positioned glow-in-the-dark stars on. He knew how much Dean loved to sit on the Impala and stargaze. If the Impala couldn't visit the stars, Castiel made stars visit the Impala. 

After he had taken a few sips of a beer, he heard someone walking towards him. "Hey, Sam," he said without looking.

"You ok, Dean?" Sam asked with a touch of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, just needed to include Baby in the family time." Dean handed Sam a beer.

Sam sat on the hood next to Dean. "You still don't want to try to convert her engine to something that will run?"

"Nah, Sam. She's not meant to be a quiet electric car. Would be like someone replacing your soul. Her engine is what makes her, her. I had to replace just about every piece of her at one time or other. But her engine, it kept her going."

"Are you happy, Dean?"

Dean smiled at Sam, "Yeah, yeah, I am. All I ever really wanted was family. Look what we ended up with. And apparently growing." Dean winked at Sam.

"You and Cas ever think of adopting a kid?"

"Nah. I'll just spoil yours rotten."

Sam smiled. "I'll drop him off during the summers if you do that and make you take care of him."

Dean glanced over at Sam. Sam's hair was still long and shaggy, but now it had a little silver at the temples. He mused, "Remember that day at Heavens Battle? I thought everything was going to end bloody, and the world would be torn apart. I wondered how Team Free Will was going to handle an army of angels, but somehow despite how horrible everything was, I had faith in you, me, Cas, and Jack. And damn if we didn't do it." Dean shook his head and laughed softly.

Sam grinned. "It was close."

Castiel called from the doorway, "Mind if I join you?"

Dean answered, "Get over here, Cas. You've been with us every minute on this crazy thrill ride. Come drink a beer." Dean handed Castiel a beer and said, "Here's to us." 

The trio clinked their beer bottles together. Sam spilled a little beer on Dean's jacket. Dean looked at him and said, "Bitch." He poured some beer purposely on Sam's lap.

Sam snorted, "Jerk," and splashed some beer on Dean's head.

Castiel grinned, "Hey, assbutt." He poured the remains of his beer on both of them. 

A fight ensued in which the three of them tried to see who could spill the most beer on the others. They started sliding around the garage floor, banging into things, and knocking tool racks over. Dean picked up the water hose he normally used to wash the car and drenched Castiel and Sam thoroughly. Within a matter of minutes, all three of them were soaking wet and the garage was in complete chaos. The three of them started to laugh hysterically.

The lights suddenly came on, and they froze. They slowly turned to face the doorway where the rest of the family had gathered. Dean smiled hopefully at his mother, turning off the water hose. "Hi, Mom."

Rowena snorted, "And for the record, these are the boys that stopped the apocalypse. Multiple times."

Reya arched an eyebrow, "They saved the world a lot."

"It is quite unbelievable when you think about it," Tabbris said with a small smirk.

Lexie rolled her eyes, "And I'm starting the next generation. Yay me."

Jack supplied helpfully, "Remember, I'm adopted."

Mary sighed, "Those are my three boys."

Dean looked at Sam and Castiel and then beamed a smile at the others, "You love us. We're adorable."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this!
> 
> I will miss these guys. I might add a few timestamps because you know, endings are hard! I think these guys might have a few more stories to tell. As always, thank you for any feedback or kudos! I value you all!


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